


The Bridge Between Us

by garion1500



Category: Prey (Video Game 2017)
Genre: Gen, Post-Credits
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2020-06-03 16:59:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 62,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19468243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/garion1500/pseuds/garion1500
Summary: He is supposed to be the bridge that brings together two species, an ambassador to the enigmatic Typhon and the Human race.  But how is this possible when he doesn’t even know what it means to be Human or Typhon and neither side trusts him?





	1. Prologue

“If you want to activate the Null wave you’ll have to kill me.”

Morgan stood on the bridge of Talos 1. Before him lay the comatose form of his brother Alex, the large man rendered unconscious by January’s taser. The console in front of him containing the activation link to the Null wave transmitter was filled with static, locked down by the pyramidal Operator’s firewalls. Sighing tiredly, his body aching with exhaustion, he rubbed his eyes before moving to stroke the dark stubble on his sharp Asian face. How long had it been since he slept, he wondered. How long had it been since he had been forced to fight for his life and the life of others on the station against the enigmatic aliens they called the Typhon? It had seemingly been days since he had last closed his eyes, gotten a full night’s rest. What he wouldn’t give to be back in his room right now, even if it was only a simulation, waking up to the comforting sight of his apartment overlooking the bay and going about his usual day. He was running on fumes, adrenaline, and frayed nerves as he had raced between the various sections of the space station, putting out fires both literal and figurative, fighting everything from shape-shifting aliens to his parents’ personal mercenary and his army of military kill-bots. But at least he only had one job left to do.

Not an easy job to be sure, not by a long shot, but still…

He looked up at the Operator January, his eye still aggravated and red from the many neuromods he had been forced to implant within his brain in order to survive the horrors that infested the station and fight back.

_You talked about the ecology of the cosmos and how underprepared we are compared to them. Shark-infested waters you said. You’re right; we aren’t strong swimmers, we aren’t ready for them. But if we destroy all of this, all of the research and everything we’ve learned we’ll be at an even bigger disadvantage when they come knocking._

He didn’t bother to try and speak the words aloud, he knew the Operator would either have a counter-argument or would simply dismiss what he said but it helped steady his resolve. Taking a deep breath Morgan walked forward several paces, raising the battered wrench above his head before bringing it down on the machine’s chassis with a loud crash. The Operator fell to the floor with a discordant warble and a shower of sparks, the previously static-filled console screen clearing, revealing the link to activate the Nullwave.

“I knew you’d make the right choice.” Alex said from behind him.

Morgan turned to see the man slowly getting to his feet. “I decided to play possum for a few moments to see how this all played out. I knew what you’d do but it’s always good to have those instincts validated.” He explained as he adjusted his glasses. “Let’s finish this.” He said with weary finality.

Nodding Morgan walked over to the console, gazing at it for a moment before pressing the touch screen firmly. The box lit up before vanishing and Morgan smiled.

Deep in the heart of the Psychotronics lab the Nullwave device opened like a metallic flower before it began to spin up, creating a massive amount of energy before releasing it in a huge surge. Typhon all across the station and even the Apex itself howled as the powerful psychic signal created an inverse pulse that was anathema to their very being, the golden strands of the Coral shredding apart like spiderwebs caught in a hurricane. As the Null wave surged through the bridge Morgan fell to the floor feeling as if his skull were being torn apart, his vision beginning to blur. Moments later the bodies of the Typhon disintegrated, becoming little more than inky smoke before vanishing altogether as Morgan’s vision finally went dark. 

He floated in the void, bodiless, blind, deaf, and dumb. A moment or an eternity later he heard Alex’s voice echoing all around him, talking as if he were in the middle of a presentation to the board.

“What is the neuromod? Well it’s both an easy answer and a complicated one at the same time. It is the future, today, and more importantly...our past, today. This is the work Transtar does, every employee working together. It’s immortality...and it is beautiful!” 

Suddenly reality asserted itself upon him and his mind froze as his vision was filled with lines of computer code and a flashing notice reading “LG V3.5”. Buzzing noises assaulted his ears and disorientation filled him as a terrible feeling of loss permeated his insides, his mind seemingly sluggish and full of conflicting sensations. Panting harshly he forced himself to focus, to try and calm himself as the scrolling code and flashing symbols vanished. A face-covering display retracted away from him a moment later as bright light forced him to blink his eyes.

He tried to speak but no words escaped him as his vision cleared, revealing a spartan room done in white plaster with several tall windows at the rear wall. Before him stood Alex along with four floating Operators of different types.

“It’s finished.” Alex said somberly before looking over at the Operators. “How did it do?”

The blue-tinted Operator floated forward. “Activation of the mirror neurons is promising. Empathy Quotient shows to be exceptionally high.” It stated in Igwe’s voice.

_What the fuck is going on?_ He thought fuzzily. _Mirror neurons? Empathy Quotient? What is this?_

“It probably thinks it was dreaming, that nothing it did mattered.” Alex remarked.

_It?!_ He thought in confusion and not a little bit of anger. _What the hell?! Why is Alex calling me ‘it’?!_

“You’re assuming it thinks like us.” The Igwe Operator replied coolly.

“It’s life depends on it.” Alex replied frankly. “Our too. It all comes down to the choices it made.” 

_Alex!_ He cried out as he felt himself becoming afraid at the dispassionate way Alex had spoken. _Alex what are you doing?! Why would you say that?! I’m your brother! Morgan! Tell me what’s going on!_

Alex and the others seemingly ignored his desperate pleas as Igwe floated forward again. “It saved me from the cargo container. I would have suffocated otherwise. And later, it recovered the Leitner connectomes. They were of no practical use, except that they were deeply meaningful to me. It installed multiple Typhon-based neuromods. It could mean an instinctive return to its own kind or an attempt to integrate its dual nature. But it’s most surprising act was sparing Dahl. While perhaps for purely selfish reasons, this, at least in principle, enabled others to escape Talos 1.”

He stared at them in disbelief and shock, his body seemingly frozen with fear. _A return to its own kind? Dual nature? What is..._

Glancing down he suddenly noticed he was strapped to a sturdy swivel chair. 

_What the fuck?! Why am I strapped down?! Why is...my...hand…_

Alex nodded before looking over at one to his far left. “Mikhaila?” 

Icy disbelief shot down his spine. _That’s not my hand…_

“I would have died without my medication. That wasn’t easy. That says a lot, I think, about its heart. Can I say that it has a heart?” She asked.

He was sure his had stopped as he stared at an appendage that wasn’t his and yet somehow was.

“It also found my father’s records. And then...I did not expect this, but it let me listen to them despite the self-incriminating content. It was willing to make itself vulnerable. Then there was that man in Psychotronic, Ingram. It let him go...was that mercy?”

_That’s the hand of a…a..._

The reality of the situation slammed into him with the force of a freight train and he felt his entire body become like ice in horror, his mind simultaneously unable to face the truth at the same time realizing just what the truth was.

_...a Typhon!_

“Would you let it live?” Alex asked her.

He jerked his head up to frantically look at the Operator in question.

“Yes.” It replied quietly after a long, agonizing moment of contemplation.

A small amount of warmth wormed its way into his chest as he tried to grapple with the realizations that were pouring into his mind at a frantic pace while still trying to focus on what Alex and the others were saying.

“Sarah?” Alex asked. “You’re next.”

The Operator floated forward. “The situation in the cargo bay was bad. None of us would have survived without its help. And it destroyed a large number of Typhon across the station. That has to be a good sign. Further, it thwarted Dahl’s attempt to use us as hostages. If it were one of my officers I would give it a commendation.”

_Thank god, another vote in my favor!_

“Danielle? What do you say?” Alex asked, looking at the Operator closest to him.

“It found me. It didn’t need to, but it did. I asked it to stop Volunteer 37. That was dangerous. No way to be sure but I think it has a sense of retribution. A lot of humans controlled by the Typhon ended up dead. Not that it was easy to avoid but...I think it’s worth the risk.”

A small amount of hope began to blossom in his chest at the positive comments. He wasn’t sure what would happen if they found him to be wanting in some way but he was sure it wouldn’t be anything good for him.

Igwe floated forward again. “In the end it chose to activate the Null wave device. Why? To preserve the Typhon technology? We can’t really know what its motives were for anything it did.”

_Igwe!_ He thought desperately. _Don’t you dare make them doubt me now!_

“But we have to make a choice.” Alex reminded them before looking at him intently. “You _can_ hear us, can’t you?” 

_Yes Alex yes, I can hear you!_ He shouted. _Why can’t you hear me?! Why are you--_

Here...I want to show you something.” Alex said.

Moving forward Alex slowly turned around the chair he was sitting in, making him face a bank of screens. 

“What you experienced was a reconstruction based on Morgan’s memories.”

He felt a terrible sinking feeling at that moment, destroying the last fragile hope he had been clinging to. _I’m not...not Morgan! Alex...he isn’t my brother! He has no reason to..._

"This...is the world today.” Alex told him grimly as the screens lit up, showing a massive city engulfed in orange and gold Coral.

He stared in disbelief at the giant city overrun with the substance. 

_No..._

He could feel himself beginning to shake minutely, his mind beginning to strain under the weight of the revelations that just seemed to keep coming. 

“We spent years trying to put what you can do into us. We never tried putting what we can do into you.” Alex explained as he turned the chair back around to face the Operators. “Until now.”

_Stop! Please stop! I can’t take any more! Don’t do this to me!_ He screamed.

“You’re the bridge between our species.” Alex continued relentlessly. “I need to know if you see us. I mean _really_ see us.” 

He could feel his insides writhing desperately, trying to escape, to run away. If he had been human he knew without a doubt he would be hyperventilating at this point.

The portly man stepped forward a pace or two and held out his gloved hand. “Take my hand if you do.”

_Alex…_

He looked at the hand as if it were an alien appendage before mentally shaking himself. 

_Focus on the now! Just survive! He’s giving you one chance! Don’t fuck it up! Worry about everything else later!_

The restraint on his right wrist snapped open and he stared at his hand. Dark, writhing, smoky. Not a human hand. Not something Alex would trust. _They can’t hear me but maybe..._

As he stretched his hand forward he willed it desperately to be human, something comforting, something trustworthy. As he watched the dark matter making up his arm shifted and solidified. The three talon-like fingers became blunt and rounded as they split into five digits and reorganized themselves into a more familiar form while pigment and skin seemingly grew from nothing, covering his hand and forearm in smooth, slightly tanned skin he knew intimately.

An instant later he gripped Alex’s hand firmly. 

Alex smiled then and it felt like a ray of sunlight was covering his body.

“We’re going to shake things up. Like old times.”

He felt himself relax in relief at hearing the old, familiar words, feeling as though he had just escaped a death sentence at the last moment.

_Alex…_


	2. Chapter 1

Alex squeezed his hand for a moment before letting go. His arm nearly fell to his lap bonelessly though he caught himself in time. His ‘trial’ seemingly over he stared at the forearm before him seemingly covered in human skin, a demarcation line just below his elbow that was part fractured skin tone and part darkness, the rest of his arm completely alien. As he watched his arm reverted back to its prior inky form, making him shiver.

“We’re done here. Take it to its quarters.” Alex instructed.

Suddenly Alex and the others vanished in a friz of color and static before his vision went dark again. A second later another visor came away from his face revealing a virtually identical room from the one he had just seen. Before he could even ponder what had just happened Alex’s voice came to him over a speaker built into the wall.

“Sorry about that. I know that has to be confusing but I couldn’t take the chance of being there in person in case you....didn’t appreciate my offer. I know you have a lot of questions. Right now you need to rest, acclimate yourself. One of the Operators will be there in a minute to guide you to your room. Don’t try to ask it any questions, it doesn’t have the answers I know you want. Just...take it easy for now. I’ll be coming by soon, I promise.” Alex insisted gently before the speaker cut off.

The restraints on the chair unlocked themselves as a nearby door behind him swished open. He sat there for several seconds, wondering if this too was a simulation before he carefully got to his feet, feeling rather light in contrast to his head which felt as if it were filled with cotton. A cobalt colored Operator floated into his field of view a moment later.

“Follow me please.” It instructed, the voice modulation the same as one of the medical Operators on Talos 1.

Nodding he slowly walked forward, unwilling to look down and see just what his body looked like. He followed the Operator down a stark white hallway covered in dull tile, the fluorescent lights above casting everything in sharp contrast Coming to a junction they headed right, past a series of unremarkable doors made of metal with number plates on them. Stopping at one labeled 655-G the Operator extended a long, thin probe from its body and pressed it against a dark stud next to the door. The door swished open a moment later with the Operator floating inside a moment later.

Assuming he was to follow it he stepped forward into the room. The room was spartan like the other room he had been in, the floor covered in white tile and the walls with white plaster. The ceiling was inky black and covered with small sparkles of light, possibly to simulate the night sky, along with a few recessed lights. Along the.far wall was a long desk of simple wood, or plastic made to look like wood, with various odds and ends on it as well as several books along with a chair. Tucked in the corner was a simple bed and along the wall near the door was what might generously be called a kitchen area consisting of a sink and counter with a few small cabinets.

“If you need anything simply press the button next to the door and one of the Operators will assist you.” It stated. “Have a nice day!”

The Operator floated back out of the room with the door closing behind it. He walked back over to the door, examining it before pressing the button experimentally. A moment later an Operator’s voice emanated from a small grill next to it.

“Yes? Can I help you?”

Sighing mentally he turned away from it, looking about dismally.

_No windows and no way to open the door without an Operator...Nothing electronic to meddle with or something breakable unless you count the books and stuff on the desk...It’s a prison then._

Wandering over to the bed he sat down heavily on it, noting absently it was bolted to the floor. Now all alone and having a moment of peace he could feel the turmoil and confusion that he had buried out of necessity slowly coming back to the foreground of his mind. 

_This can’t be happening! I remember...I was Morgan! I was on Talos 1! Wasn’t I?_

Alex’s voice came to him again. _What you experienced was a reconstruction based on Morgan’s memories..._

He slowly looked down at his arm, his body beginning to shake as he saw the alien appendage that by all rights shouldn’t be there squirm and twist. Scarcely daring to look further he saw a torso made up of the same inky dark matter that existed in each of its three states all at once, a mix of smoke, liquid, and structured solidity. 

_I’m not…_

_Was I ever…_

Laying down on the bed he curled up tightly, anguish, fear, confusion, and a myriad other emotions surging through him all at once. Closing his eyes to shut out the sight of his own body he laid there silently, his limbs twitching anxiously. 

_Blink_

Suddenly he found himself adrift in the cosmos, the vast spiral arm of the galaxy spread out before him as a beautiful cloud of nebulous gas while all around him distant suns a billion years old or more shone their light upon him.

_Another simulation?_ He wondered. It would not surprise him at this point.

Frowning in confusion he found himself getting rather sick of the whole experience, though he had to admit it was pretty. He slowly began to walk forward, his feet somehow treading on a solid surface. Just what he might be walking on he had no clue; ‘below’ was merely more stars and the vastness of interstellar space. 

_Then again, in microgravity up and down are whatever you want them to be._ He reasoned.

Up ahead of him space seemed to writhe and contort as if something was attempting to rip the fabric of reality itself. A moment later a shape poured through from the darkness to stand before him. He recognizes it instantly.

_Phantom!_

The creature stood there motionless with its oversized torso and gangly arms terminating in razor sharp talons, the glowing points on its head where human eyes would be shifting from two, to four, to six, and back again. He could feel the thing observing him, its gaze as sharp as a razor as it took in every centimeter.

“What do you want?” He demanded angrily, feeling tired, hungry, and above all pissed off that he was forced to endure more of this unreality.

A moment later the creature shifted and he felt it radiating disdain for him. There was no speech from the void-creature but the sensation manifested in his brain all the same like a thousand needles stabbing into him and he knew instinctively what the creature was trying to say. 

_Pathetic._

He felt his hackles raising in anger and defiance. “Pathetic?!” He demanded. “You think I’m pathetic?! Do you know how many of you I’ve killed?!”

The creature radiated emptiness in reply as if it were channelling the void itself and he instinctively grasped its meaning.

The simulation...he had killed dozens of them at least but in the end they had been nothing but digital shadows created from human memory and brought to fictitious life by human technology. In the end, he had accomplished nothing while within it.

The creature nodded, the surprisingly human gesture seemingly confirming his realization before it shook its head, the disdain still present but seemingly for a different reason. 

“What now?” He demanded sullenly, tired of feeling beaten down.

The creature shifted suddenly, moving through the space between them in an instant to appear before him. He stepped back in shock, his hands raising to defend himself but the creature’s talon had already tapped him on the head with unnatural swiftness.

_You seem...frustrated._ The Phantom stated in a static-y voice and he could tell it was mocking him. 

”What do you want?” He demanded, unwilling to waste more precious energy on pointless posturing.

The creature clenched its talons and he could feel the frustration rolling off the humanoid figure before him in waves that seem to ripple the universe. He could feel its patience wearing thin. 

_YOU!!_ It roared in fury.

He sat up suddenly, the room appearing in his vision as he desperately tried to gasp for air, trying to fill lungs he no longer possessed. Even so his body accommodated him, allowing him to suck in swift breaths, the feeling of cool air filling his insides bringing him comfort at the familiar feeling. Looking about quickly he found the room in near pitch dark, the harsh lights from before dimmed almost completely, their light just enough to make the ceiling sparkle gently from a hundred small points.

He pressed a hand to his face, rubbing at it as the lights became brighter, having detected his movement, bringing the room into faint twilight. His vision focused and suddenly he realized just what his hand looked like. His body began to shiver once more as it shook off the numbness and he stared down at the writhing, inky mass that made up his torso and legs, the human aspect of his mind recoiling instinctively against what his senses told him was there.

_I’m a Typhon…_

_What you experienced was a reconstruction based on Morgan’s memories...._

_I’m not Morgan...I never was Morgan…_

_Who am I then?_

_What am I?!_

His mind spun in all directions desperately trying to find a frame of reference as he tried to reconcile human instincts with alien biology. Each probing thought only seemed to spawn more questions and deep down he could feel the horrible emptiness he had first felt when he had first awoken from the simulation come back to the fore. Suddenly he felt as though he was utterly isolated from everyone and everything in the universe, a mote of insignificant matter adrift in a vast empty void for eternity. The light fixtures suddenly erupted in a shower of sparks as he clutched his head in a mental scream. Ironically, it was that sudden eruption that was his saving grace, shocking his despairing mind into stunned silence.

_Was...was that me? Did I do that?_

Focusing on that for the moment he forced his mind to think analytically.

_Like Morgan?_

_But you’re not Morgan._

Growling mentally he tried to focus. _What was that? How did I make that happen? And why does my throat feel like its been stabbed with knives?_

_Throat...vocal cords…_

The realization came a second later.

_That’s why they didn’t hear me!_ _I didn’t have a mouth or vocal cords! I was trying to think at them instead of talking! Alex said something about Typhon having no speech of their own....but I heard them making sounds on Talos...noises..._

_You were in a simulation, how can you know what was true and what wasn’t?_

Snarling silently to silence the cynical, self-defeating voice, he forced himself to think.

_I made my arm human before...that means I can change my throat...my whole body if I want…_

_‘Mimic’_ whispered across his mind before he hurriedly brushed it aside. _Not now! Talking first! I have to be able to communicate with them somehow!_

He considered trying to write out his questions but a quick search of the room yielded no writing utensils of any kind before he sat back down on the bed. Focusing on his neck he tried to recall any old information Morgan might have learned about how vocal cords work. _Think...they’re flaps of tissue in the throat...they vibrate to make sound...I need to change that part of me! I need to talk!_

He could feel the insides of his neck twisting strangely as he tried to visualize what he wanted, forcing that area of his body to become more solid. Vents opened at the back of his neck, pulling in air while flaps emerged nearby and a small orifice opened within his head, solidifying into a mouth with razor-sharp black teeth and thick tongue. 

He tried speaking a few words experimentally but was only rewarded with hissing air escaping from him. After a few fruitless attempts he sighed mentally.

_You’re overthinking it...just mimic--ACT!...like a human. Talking comes naturally to them. Use that._

He spent several moments putting himself into the proper mindset. His eyes closed as he recalled his time in the simulation, running with human arms and legs, moving with human instincts and reflexes, recalling memories of Morgan speaking to others and how it felt. He felt his body shift subtly within him as he immersed himself in the feeling of being human, of being normal, of being Morgan again. He felt his exterior shift and ripple gently while inside he could feel himself becoming more dense as organs filled his insides. He could feel a heart beginning to thump steadily in his chest as he slowly took in deep breaths and let them out, feeling the air flowing in and out of his new lungs. Fingers and toes grew and blunted. His face shifted, becoming more angular. Dark matter became bone and muscle or close facsimiles at least. As the changes subsided he could feel himself calming, the turbulence within him settling somewhat as the horrible emptiness he had felt began to fade into the background. 

Opening his eyes he refused to look down at himself and potentially break the illusion but he felt more centered and solid as he attempted to speak. 

“Alex?” He asked in Morgan’s voice, sounding slightly hoarse with a hint of static in it.

He felt himself smile broadly at the accomplishment as excitement filled him. Clearing his throat he tried several more words before moving on to practice various sentences, his voice becoming clearer as he continue practicing. Finally, when he felt confident enough in his ability to at least communicate, he glanced down at himself.

Blinking in vague surprise he found himself covered in his, or rather Morgan’s, black and red Transtar space suit. Rubbing his gloved hands together he could feel the touch of the rubbery hand easily instead of the muted sensations he had expected. Slowly reaching up with a hand he felt his head and face. The stubble was there as well as the hair and nose he knew like the back of his hand, the face that he...Morgan...saw in the mirror every morning.

_Just be...be him...for right now._ He told himself. _Plenty of time to figure the rest out later, come up with a face of your own. Right now Alex needs to see...Morgan. Something familiar...trustworthy..._

_Not alien._ His mind suggested darkly, making him frown. 

As if conjured by his thoughts the door suddenly chimed before sliding open revealing Alex Yu’s bulky form in the entrance.

“Can I come in?”

He nodded and Alex stepped inside, the door shutting behind him. As Alex stepped closer his eyes widened as senses he didn’t realize he had began to come to life suddenly. Visible vibrations and random noises began to appear from within Alex, many of them clustered around his head like a dense halo of writhing space-time that made him lick his lips unconsciously. A plethora of muted words reached his ears like a hundred people in a room speaking at once along with the soft swells of a piece of distant classical music. 

_What’s happening to me?_ He wondered as his body begins to thrum deep inside like viola strings being plucked. A strange desire filled him as he watched and felt the vibrations and strange sensory inputs flow in a hypnotic fashion that made him lean forward intently.

“Is something wrong?” Alex asked in concern, seeing the intent expression on his face, the vibrations around his head becoming sharper and more pronounced.

Catching himself he forced himself to focus, pushing aside the strange feelings. 

“No...nothing...I was just...surprised to see you.” He explained awkwardly, spurts of static clinging to his voice.

Alex’s eyes widened for a moment before he gazed at him thoughtfully. “So you _can_ speak. Wonderful. I was concerned we’d have to figure out something in that regard. How are you?” Alex asked carefully.

“Confused...but alright.” He said with a bit more firmness, grateful his voice came out smoother and more natural-sounding this time.

Alex smiled at this and he could sense the vibrations becoming smoother for a moment. “I’m glad to hear it. I said I would come see you so here I am.”

“In the middle of the night?” He asked dubiously.

Alex shrugged. “It’s not as late as you think, the system dims the lights anytime you sleep. Besides we’re in space. It’s always night here.”

He rolled his eyes a bit at the attempted humor. He was well aware of crew shift rotations regardless of what it looked like outside. Alex was probably just waiting for the right moment to come by. 

“I know you’ve been through a lot and that you have a lot of questions. I’ll answer them as best I can but just remember I may not answer all of them.” He said as he pulled over the chair from the desk and sat down. “And I don’t have as much free time as I’d like to spend down here.” He admitted with regret, the vibrations shifting slightly in tone and intensity.

“Why?” 

Alex raised an eyebrow. “I have a lot of responsibilities you know. You’re one of my biggest ones of course but even still I can’t spend all my time here.”

“And your reasons for withholding answers?”

“A couple of them.” Alex replied casually. “Some things might be too sensitive to talk about right now. Some things you might not understand even if I had all day to explain them. Others...well, considering what you’ve been through I don’t want to add any more burdens onto your shoulders. They look heavy enough as it is.” He said with a disarming smile.

He gazed at Alex critically for a moment before letting out a nod and a sigh. He could hardly get all the answers he wanted out of Alex in one sitting. Thinking for a moment with his arms resting on his knees he stared at his boots for a moment before looking up at Alex. 

“Why am I here?” He asked plainly.

Alex tilted his head a bit in confusion, making the vibrations intensify for a moment like a violinist sliding up and down the musical scale. “You mean here in this room? Or something more philosophical?”

He shrugged. “Both I guess. But right now I mean, why am I in a room with no way out?”

“You’re not a fan of the accommodations I take it.” Alex suggested dryly.

He snorted at this, idly amused by the feeling of air blowing through his nostrils. “It certainly isn’t my cabin on Talos 1 or my apartment for that matter.”

Alex raised an eyebrow at this. “Your apartment?” He asked with just a hint of challenge, a sharp but brief vibration enunciating the point.

He grimaced at this. “His apartment then. This?” He asked, gesturing about the room with a hand. “This is a cell.”

“You think you’re a prisoner?” Alex asked him, the vibrations shifting more swiftly and the classical music fading away replaced with a cool void.

“What would you call it?” He asked irritably. “I’m locked in here with nothing and no way out!”

“And what would you do if I let you out?” Alex asked him in a pointed tone. “Where would you go?”

He opened his mouth only to find his mind coming to a halt. What _would_ he do? Explore a place he knew nothing about that was potentially filled with people who saw him as an enemy or at the very least a dangerous experiment? 

_Do you really think he’d let a Typhon run amok after what you saw on those screens?_ His mind asked derisively. _After what happened on Talos?_

_Stupid fucking brain._ He grumbled before sighing and looking back up at Alex. “You have a point.” He admitted. “But I still don’t like it.”

“Listen...I know you don’t want to be cooped up like this. I know its hard but this is for your protection as much as everyone else’s.” Alex explained carefully. “We’ve got a lot of work to do before your ready. We have to make sure...”

“That I won’t kill anyone?” He suggested grimly, staring at Alex pointedly.

He watched as the vibrations around Alex’s head scaled up and down several times before calming somewhat. “I trust you not to do anything that would jeopardize your well being.” Alex replied carefully. “You’re obviously intelligent enough to know what that entails. Considering what you did in the simulation I know you want to help people, that you care.” Alex affirmed, resting a hand on his shoulder for a moment, the vibrations creating a long serene note in his ears. “The people here don’t know you yet but they will, in time. First though, we need to make sure that you get what you need.” 

He glanced down at his rubbery hands before looking back up at Alex again, his face once again serious. “Where is he?”

Alex looked at him curiously, the vibrations sounding slightly discordant. “Where’s who?”

He glared at Alex. “Don’t play with me. You know who I mean.”

The man nodded in understanding. “Earthside. I’m not going to tell you where since it wouldn’t matter right now. You’ll get to see him eventually.”

He nodded as he closed his eyes for a moment, thinking deeply before looking at Alex again.

“Before...you wanted to know if I could really see you.” He said in a quiet tone. “What do you see...when you look at me?” 

Alex’s eyes widened slightly in surprise at this before becoming thoughtful. A flood of muted sound and vibrational energy surrounded Alex’s head as tiny sparks of light shimmered like fireflies about his temples. “I see someone who looks like my brother. Who talks like my brother. And maybe I’m grasping at straws but I see someone who I think would very much like to be him.” 

The last remark brought a frown to his face. “I don’t.” He replied flatly. “I don’t want to be known as Morgan’s twin and I certainly don’t want to be like him.”

He sighed, rubbing his face. “I remember…” He said quietly. ”I remember things about...about him and you…but it’s like flashes of recall at certain moments in time...something you said or an image that struck him as important...It’s all broken up...or so deep that it’s...ingrained...All I have to go on are those and what the simulation showed me and I can’t even be sure...” He rubbed his forehead in frustration as dark smoke began to waft from his shoulders. 

“You don’t know what was real in the simulation and what wasn’t.” Alex offered quietly.

“No.” He replied ruefully. “But if most of the things I saw in the simulation were true...I don’t think I’d want to be like Morgan Yu. Or at least like he was.” He concluded grimly. “You wanted to know if I really see you. I do, I really do.” He stared into Alex’s eyes as static buzzed at the edge of his voice. “I just can’t...I can’t see me. I can’t see...who I am.” 

Alex’s face morphed into sympathy as he put a hand on his shoulder again, the vibrations swelled in harmony for a moment. 

“You can be whoever you want to be.” He said in a soft, compassionate tone. “We’ll figure it out together, I promise.”

He smiled a bit at that as Alex stood, patting his shoulder comfortingly. “I need to go. But I’ll be back. Let them know if you need anything.” He said quietly.

He nodded as Alex left, leaving him to his thoughts.

* * *

_Several minutes later…_

“Your first visit went well.” Elazar remarked drolly. “You didn’t die.”

Alex threw the woman a look that was half exasperation and half amusement as he sat in the chair before various consoles. “I didn’t expect to. It knows I’m holding all the strings at the moment. It’s desperate for acceptance, to understand just what it is.”

“Do you believe it knows it’s being monitored?” Mikhaila asked as they watched him on one of the screens.

“If it doesn’t now it’ll figure it out soon enough. It already knows it’s being kept in confinement and that we don’t trust it yet. Stands to reason we’d be watching it too.”

“Once again, you assume it thinks as we do.” Igwe pointed out in disapproval. “That bias could easily lead to...miscalculations on your part. Miscalculations that, if they are serious enough, could be lethal to you or us.”

“Igwe we’ve been over this.” Alex replied in annoyance. “You listened in on our conversation. Yes it’s conflicted and confused but it wants to work with us or at least stay in our good graces. Just the fact that it was willing to talk, and was actually able to do so, is a very good sign.”

“Just because it is willing to talk-” Igwe disagreed.

“Enough!” Alex said insistently, raising a hand to silence the man. “Right now we have other concerns we need to focus on. Plus it needs a name.”

“You want to _name_ it?” Danielle asked in surprise. “We don’t even know if it will be viable for…”

“It’s the closest we’ve come so far.” Alex insisted. “We can’t keep referring to it as ‘it’, especially if we’re going to be interacting with it on a regular basis.”

“I believe it was you who said something about projecting human characteristics onto an alien species.” Igwe pointed out.

“Except in this case we want it to feel more human.” Alex retorted. “Giving it a name and using gender identification indicates we value it, see it as more than an object or experiment and that will help make it more compliant.”

“I sincerely hope you aren’t going to name it Morgan.” Mikhaila snorted.

Alex shook his head. “No. It was very clear that it wanted to distance itself from being compared to Morgan. Frankly I don’t blame it. We’ll let it decide. Give it a little bit of control. It’ll appreciate that, I think.”

* * *

He sat motionless on the bed, his trunk-like legs folded together and crossed with his hands in his lap. He knew they were watching him somehow, even though he couldn’t yet discern by what method. Most likely tiny cameras imbedded in the ceiling or behind objects, places that would be hard to reach. 

Or would be if the subjects were human. 

A part of him hoped they were watching; seeing a Typhon sitting in a loose lotus meditation pose would at the very least strike them as curious, perhaps even amusing. 

_Maybe next I’ll try some cartwheels, see if that catches their attention._ He considered with a mental snicker.

He vaguely wondered how much time had passed since Alex’s visit but found he couldn’t really bring himself to care too much. No doubt when things got busy time would be of importance but at the moment he had all the time in the world. His mind still felt rather sluggish and slow with numerous thoughts racing through it, there was simply too much he didn’t know and the questions buzzed constantly, demanding answers he didn’t have. Rationality and deduction were the only tools he had to work with, so he applied them to his situation and what Alex had told him as if he were a dispassionate observer. Becoming the bridge between the Typhon and Human races was obviously a long term goal which he could let lay for the time being. Just the time it would take to set up an operation of this scale and have it run to its fruition to create something like him would take months at the very least, if not a few years. The shock of seeing the planet covered in Coral was starting to distance itself as well. If what he saw was true, and honestly he had no real way of knowing if it was true or not, the Earth had been in the Typhon’s grip for a while. Training an...ambassador...would also take quite a bit of time and if human society had already been on the verge of collapse then all hope was lost anyway. He was fairly certain that Alex would reveal to him the actual state of things eventually.

A night’s rest and a peaceful environment as well as Alex’s visit had allowed him to avoid the mental breakdown he had been treading the ragged edge of the day before. The sense of him being Morgan Yu was slowly retreating into a kind of background dissonance, a partially faded dream that stubbornly remained in the back of his mind, injecting expectations and coloring his thoughts at odd moments. In its wake was a curious kind of bewildered detachment where ideas flowed a little easier and caring became less of a concern. 

_Is this is how Typhon normally feel?_

He spent his time mentally running back through the simulation, reviewing everything he had done, considering what the crew had said and did in relationship to him. It was slightly frustrating having to deal with Morgan’s biases and idiosyncrasies as he reviewed his memories but he knew he could deal with it. As much as they frustrated him he quickly realized that without that undercurrent of experience and instinctual knowledge feeding him information subconsciously he would not have even survived in the simulation. Even if he had somehow done so he would not have had the slightest idea about how to communicate with the others in any meaningful way. Just a cursory review of his interactions with others within the simulation showed him that between humans communication was far more than a pure exchange of words. Emotion, body language, vocal tone, frames of reference, and the collective general knowledge humans shared created common connections that they could relate to, that could be used to express ideas either literally or in metaphorical senses. 

He looked down at his hands and shivered slightly. The body horror he experienced was slowly fading to a kind of numb resignation as he tried to come to terms with what he was. Even his predilection to refer to himself as ‘he’ was merely a left over instinct from his previously identifying as Morgan. (A quick glance between his legs had confirmed his body had no gender to speak of.) Trailing a talon along his fluctuating arm he noted his sense of touch was muted, as if he were still wearing his Transtar uniform. Pressure was felt easily enough and pinching his arm produced a kind of stinging, sparking sensation at the site. With little else to do he began to catalogue his senses, running through the usual ones that all humans had as well as the ones he had discovered when speaking with Alex. Sight was a slightly curious phenomena for him as he felt his visual receptors (he could hardly call them eyes in any real sense) split into two pairs and then three pairs, granting him wide angle vision in perfect clarity before refocusing into a single pair facing forward. His sense of taste was apparently non-existent in this form, Typhon apparently never needing to evolve that particular set of apparatus to gain an advantage over their prey. Smell was a curious thing, he could sample and distinguish the various scents that moved through the air, especially when Alex or one of the Operators made an appearance, but it prompted no instinctive response from his body unlike a human’s. Apparently scent was simply another data point for a Typhon to utilize. 

As he recalled his most recent conversation with Alex, seeing the man in his mind’s eye, the vibrations that surrounded and shuddered about his head in strange rhythms as well as the other sounds and sights he experienced, he felt the same urge from before but somewhat muted. His focus narrowed at the feeling, trying to understand it. Flashes of Morgan’s instincts and memories came to him, being hunched over a computer, his fingers flashing across the keyboard as incomplete equations and designs that were close but not quite what he desired appeared on the screen. Searching for just the right angle, just the right variable, that one small difference or sudden inspiration that would allow everything to fall into place.

_Desire...hunger...anticipation...but more than that...the thrill of the hunt._

_Prey_

The word was primal and decisive as it flowed through his consciousness from the deeper and darker parts of his mind, his body continuing to respond in kind. Just feeling the desire to hunt sent chills through him as he tensed, forcing down the feeling an instant later. 

_I am not eating Alex! I am NOT eating Alex!_ He ordered himself anxiously before another thought followed on its heels.

_Then what am I supposed to eat?_

The thought created a tightness in his core as he realized the implications before shaking his head.

_He can’t have just forgotten about something like that...No need to freak out Mor--_

He clenched his fists at the half formed name. _Damnit! I’m not fucking Morgan! I never was! Stop thinking like you’re…!_

_Human?_ The darker part of his mind asked pointedly.

He felt his insides sink at this.

He bowed his head as searing emotions flowed through him and at that moment his most fervent wish was that Typhon could cry.


	3. Chapter 2

He could feel himself getting restless. His instincts surged like lightning across a dark sky during a thunderstorm demanding that he do something. His digits twitched as he resisted the urge to search every inch of the room, to explore it and know it so that he could lay in wait when someone came. Already he could feel a plan forming in his mind to mimic one of the objects in the room until one of the Operators or perhaps even Alex opened the door, allowing him freedom. Where he might have gone after that he didn’t know but even that brief glimpse what lay beyond would give him an advantage later on. He wished he still had the ability to frown as Typhon had no eyebrows, or musculature for that matter, as he pushed the thoughts down forcefully. He didn’t want to anger Alex and the others at this point. No doubt they had planned for him attempting to escape confinement anyway. 

_Alex always has contingencies in place. Another Yu family tradition._

With nothing better to do he closed his visual receptors and focused inward, still trying to come to terms with what Igwe had called his dual natures. He tried to search his memory for anything that happened to him before the simulation, before Morgan Yu and the changes Alex had made to his neural connections but he came up with nothing but a dark void and flashes of instinct. Making a decision he began to submerge himself deeper into the more primal aspects of himself, letting his rational mind slowly give way to more impulsive and alien instincts. 

One step further...then another…then another...

One step too far and he was suddenly borne away in a swirl of animalistic desires as a sudden spike of energy shot through him. The instinct to be free, to attack and consume surged through him as flashes of reflex, quick as lightning, demanded a response. Before his conscious mind realized it his hand had formed into a spear of dark matter that he knew could stab through Alex’s torso with ease. His body was tense and ready to strike, every sense stretched outward and scanning every inch of the room for prey. The rational part of him immediately recoiled, clamping down and twisting as he tried desperately to escape from his own body’s natural reactions. He slammed back into conscious awareness, everything simultaneously screaming inside him and pulling him in different directions. 

He shook as he let out a static-filled cry, curling in on himself. The desire to be somewhere else, to hide, was overwhelming and his body responded immediately. He felt himself compacting as dark matter twisted and writhed unnaturally. His senses spun wildly for several brief moments before they steadied. He sat perfectly still, his form motionless, his senses spread out in a way he had not experienced before. He felt as if he were packed tightly together and curled up in a ball at the same time as his mind quieted, conscious thought and emotion packed away and replaced with a simple sense of just existing. All around him he could vaguely sense the air currents blowing softly through the room via the ventilation system. 

Intuitively he knew there were now two pillows on the bed he had been sitting on. After a moment’s reflection he comes to a conclusion. 

_Being a pillow isn’t so bad._

* * *

_Some time later…_

“Any idea what happened?”

“No. It was sitting there like before when it suddenly jerked as if it had been shocked and its hand formed into a pointed object. It began to tremble and then changed as you saw.”

“How long has it been like that?”

“Just over an hour.”

“Hmm...Alright. I’ll visit it again and see if I can get it to relax. Besides, it’s feeding time anyway.”

* * *

Alex stepped through the doorway, the lights brightening automatically as the door closed behind him. He glanced down at the small tray in his hands, holding a thermos and several Psi hypo-sprays. Keeping an eye on the bed with its pair of pillows he moved to the counter and set the tray down with a quiet clatter before moving to stand in the middle of the room several feet away from the bed.

“Are we playing hide and seek now?” He asked in a casual tone. “Brings back old memories.”

The pillow failed to react.

“If we _are_ playing hide and seek, I have to say your technique needs work.” He said in an amused tone. “Maybe you should try being a cup next time.”

Nothing.

“If you’re hungry I brought something down for you.” He continued, jerking a thumb at the tray. “You’re probably ravenous by now.”

The pillow shuddered slightly.

He tried another tactic, trying to invoke memories of the simulation he knew would be familiar as he let out an exasperated sigh. “Morgan! Get up, you’re burning daylight!”

Without warning the pillow erupted into a violent mass of black mist and twisting limbs and Alex was suddenly face to face with a shivering Typhon that towered over him by several inches.

“Don’t!” It snarled at him, its voice rough, gravelly, and filled with static as it balled its talons into fists.

At that moment Alex considered it a minor miracle that he didn’t fall on his arse. “Don’t what?” He asked cautiously, well aware of how fragile it was at that moment.

“Don’t...call me that!” It snarled.

“Sorry.” Alex said contritely, keeping his eyes focused on the white shapes flowing across its head. “I didn’t realize how...upset it would make you. Are you hungry?” He asked.

“Yesss…” It said in a sibilant and static tone.

The hairs on the back of Alex’s neck stood on end.

“I brought a tray down for you.” Alex said carefully, pointing with his thumb again and hoping it would take the hint. “It’s not a feast but I hope it’ll do for the moment.”

It stared at Alex for a moment longer and the man had the distinct impression the creature would be licking its lips if it had any before it slowly turned to look at the tray.

“What...is it?” It asked.

“Water with psychostimulants mixed in as well as some psi hypos.” Alex explained steadily. “Hopefully it’ll take the edge off.”

Its feet seemed to peel away from the floor as it slowly lumbered over to the counter. Alex slowly let out a breath, unwilling to even sigh in relief as it moved to the tray. Picking up one of the Psi hypos it cracked open the dispenser before taking the phial in its hand and crushing it, absorbing the violet liquid before letting the fragments of plastic fall to the tray. It did the same with the other hypo before opening the thermos and reaching in with a talon, seemingly absorbing the liquid as if by osmosis. It shivered slightly before its body appeared to relax somewhat and it turned around.

“Thank you...Alex.” It said, its voice shifting between static filled gravel and Morgan.

Alex nodded. “Do you need more?”

“I think...I’ll be okay for the moment.” It said, it’s voice somewhat more modulated with less static.

Alex nodded again. “You want to talk about it?” He asked quietly after a moment.

“It?”

“Why you decided to be a pillow for two hours straight.” Alex suggested. “I assume you had good reason.”

It looked down at its feet, its eyes blinking back and forth.

“I wanted to see what it was like.” It said quietly, voice once again filled with static.

“Being a pillow?” Alex asked in vague amusement with a half smile.

“Being me.” It replied gravely. “I...I didn’t like what I found. My hand...it transformed into a spear when I...I delved too deep and...I just...wanted to hide after that.”

Alex sobered at that, nodding in understanding. “You want to sit down? Talk it over?” He offered.

“I’ve been curled up for the last two hours.” It remarked grumpily as it began to slowly pace back and forth as it wrung and clasped its talons in a very familiar manner to the man.

_He acts like Morgan even when he doesn’t realize it._ Alex considered, the creature’s movements mirroring that of his brother when highly agitated. After a few moments of silence he spoke again.

“What was it like?” He probed carefully. “When you looked inside yourself?” 

He heard the hybrid take in a harsh breath.

“It was...dark...Deep down there was this horrible empty feeling...like I was all alone in the universe...There were impulses faster than I could track or comprehend. Before I knew what happened my body had changed. I was ready to…” It trailed off.

“To…” Alex prompted softly.

Suddenly the Typhon flashed across the room, his hand once again a spike of dark matter with its arm raised, the tip inches from Alex’s face.

The rotund man stumbled back in shock as the being lowered its arm slowly, its hand reforming before it slowly sat down on the floor with a _thump_ , its head lowered in silent apology.

“That’s what I wanted to do.” It hissed out in a painfully tortured voice.

Alex swallowed, taking a soft deep breath to compose himself as the creature’s body shifted and twisted with color flowing around it. A few seconds later Morgan sat before him, his face pinched and worn, his eyes tormented and pleading. Alex felt a lump forming in his throat at the raw pain he saw on the thing that wore his brother’s face. 

Morgan had never worn such a haunted and distraught look.

“I’m a stranger in a strange land Alex.” It said in a frightened and lost voice. “All I have are alien instincts and fragmented memories, and not many of those! I don’t understand any of this! I’m not even…” He trailed off, looking down at his hand, causing it to shift spastically before looking back at Alex, silently pleading for him to understand. The rotund man nodded sympathetically before trusting his voice to speak as he began to walk towards him slowly.

“I know.” Alex replied softly. “Your confused and frightened. You’re scared of yourself and about your future. But we’re gonna change all of that, I promise. We’ll help you get through all of this and get your feet set on the right path. As for what you wanted to do just now...those might be your base instincts but remember what just happened. You stopped yourself. That’s the difference between you and the Typhon. They wouldn’t have stopped.”

“I _AM_ A TYPHON!” It shouted wretchedly in a static-filled voice as it shot to its feet, its arms and other parts of his body erupting outwards as tendrils of smoke and spiky dark matter before it slowly pulled them back and returned to a passable resemblance of Morgan.

Alex forced himself to be still as he gazed steadily at the anguished creature. “You’re more than just that.” Alex reminded him softly. “You know that. Remember that. Always keep it in mind. You’re more than just your instincts. You’re much more than that.”

It looked down at its fluctuating body before looking back up at Alex. “Then what am I?” He asked desperately. “I need an answer Alex!”

Alex hesitated for a moment before he spoke. “You’re the culmination of years of research and trials under the umbrella of Project Cobalt. A hybrid mix of human and Typhon. A being that has the physiology of a Typhon but can think, act, and empathize like any human being. You’re one of a kind. Utterly unique. And you’re going to be amazing, that I can promise you.” Alex said with a softly passionate voice.

“Cobalt…” It repeated softly.

After a few moments of thoughtful silence Alex spoke again. “There’s something else I wanted to talk to you about. Your name.”

It turned to look at him intently.

“We both know you aren’t...him...and I don’t want to accidentally call you that since it upsets you so much.” Alex explained. “Have you thought about what your name is or what you’d like to be called?”

“Cobalt…” It muttered quietly before glancing up at Alex. “Can Cobalt be a name?”

Alex looked at him with a hint of surprise. “You want to name yourself after the project?”

It looked down again. “Not exactly but...if what you say is true then Cobalt made me what I am...it makes sense to take it as a name, or something like it.” It suggested quietly, its voice somewhat more steady. “It’s not like I have any better ideas.”

Alex frowned in thought for a moment before an idea came to him. “If you start it with a ‘K’, Ko would be a diminutive of Cobalt. It’s a Japanese name that means to cultivate or grow. Normally it’s meant in the agricultural sense but we are trying to cultivate you as well as cultivate a relationship between the Typhon and humanity. What do you think?”

It seemed to ponder the name for a moment before nodding. “Appropriate I suppose. I can always change it later if I come up with something better.”

“Wonderful. It’s good to finally meet you Ko.” Alex said warmly with a smile.

Ko smiled back wanly in response before becoming thoughtful. “It feels strange, having a name. It makes it all seem more real...more grounded.”

“I’m glad.” Alex assured him. “You’ve taken the first step. We’ll work on the next ones with Igwe and the others. You’ve got a lot to learn but you’ll get there. Whatever help you need, we’ll provide it. Like I said before, our lives depend on your success. We’re not going to cut corners with so much at stake.”

Ko nodded, his gaze a thousand yards long and unfocused before looking over at the man. “Thank you Alex.” He said sincerely. 

Alex moved closer, resting a hand on Ko’s shoulder. “You’re very welcome.”

Ko slowly allowed his body to shift back to his more natural Typhon form, gaining several inches on the man. Even as the material shifted under Alex’s hand as it changed states Alex kept his hand in place, resting against Ko’s torso while looking up at the creature of dark matter before him, giving him an unwavering gaze of fearlessness and confidence. 

Ko nodded silently after a moment, giving Alex credit for the gesture before moving to the bed and sitting down.

“Do you need anything else before I go?” Alex asked.

Ko shrugged. “I haven’t gotten to the books and things yet but I doubt they’ll last long. To be honest I’ve been kind of bored when I haven’t been freaking myself out.” He admitted ruefully.

Alex nodded. “I’ll scrounge up some more for you. Assuming that things keep on as they are and the others agree you should be allowed to leave the room soon.”

Ko nodded as he laid down again, his arms behind his head.

“What is it like?” Alex asked curiously, turning to look at him. “Being a pillow I mean.”

Ko seemed to ponder this briefly before looking over and gazing at him with glowing eyes. “It’s like curling up into a ball only tighter and being utterly still while the world happens around you. It’s like...like feeling the world through sonar. You sense things around you in all directions. Everything is pretty muted though. You can’t see but you can hear if you want to. The body just needs the right adjustments. But it’s mostly about sensing changes in air current, feeling the vibrations of feet hitting the floor, that kind of thing.”

“Could you see if you wanted to?” Alex wondered.

Ko pondered that for a moment. “I think so. But pillows and cups aren’t supposed to have eyes..or something that works just as good. Not a good stalking strategy.”

Alex smiled at the mental image of a cup with eyestalks and let out a chuckle in agreement. “I suppose not. Just curious. See you later Ko.”

Ko nodded as Alex departed, leaving him alone.

* * *

“You believe it is sincere?” Igwe asked in disbelief a short time later. “When we saw it launch itself at you I thought that was going to be the end of you for sure.”

Alex nodded, leaning back in his chair. “As sure as I can be, yes. I thought I was finished too for a second.”

“It is interesting.” Igwe continued. “Assuming you are correct about its sincerity it appears as if its dual natures are conflicting with each other, sending contradictory signals and impulses to the brain. It is afraid of its own body, of the fact that it is not human, even though it should have no reason to desire such a state of being.”

“That suggests a strong predilection for wanting to be more human.” Mikhaila suggested. “That’s a good sign, surely.”

“It will be very useful.” Igwe agreed. “So long as these conflicts exist it will need us for support and positive affirmation. Withholding that can be a powerful motivator if need be.”

“That’s cold even for you Igwe.” Elazar remarked sharply. “We can’t keep it on the edge of a mental breakdown constantly. It needs to be comfortable within its own body and with what it can do if it’s going to be of any use to us.”

“You’re also forgetting it’s taken a name now. You can’t address him as ‘it’ anymore.” Alex informed them firmly with a sharp look.

“Assuming its gender now?” Danielle taunted. “How old-fashioned of you. We don’t even know if it even cares about such things.”

Alex shrugged. “Ko is a masculine name and it...he...seems to take on male characteristics so it seems to fit. I’m sure he’ll tell you otherwise if he feels it’s necessary.” He said blandly.

“Moving on to a more relevant topic,” Igwe stated, “what plans do you have in place as far as the ‘next steps’ you mentioned to it?”

Alex decided to ignore Igwe’s refusal to use Ko’s new name as he continued. “We need to run him through basic testing first; we have no idea how much of Morgan’s knowledge he retained so its general knowledge will likely be very limited. Once we get some baseline information about what he knows and what he’s capable of we can start to tailor a curriculum, bring him up to speed and give him a proper education.” He suggested.

“Considering the abilities he’s demonstrated so far I would say he knows quite a lot.” Mikhaila offered. 

“True, but I doubt he has several Ph.D’s worth of learning stuck in there.” Alex replied. “Plus we need to learn more about his abilities not just as a Typhon but how he thinks, how he reacts to various situations. Kobalt needs to be able to interact with human beings if this project is going to be successful and we eventually have to prepare it for our ultimate goal. This will be a slow process. Everything we take for granted we can’t assume he understands. He also can’t interact very well from a cell. Eventually we’re going to have to let him out.”

“Your promise to it.” Igwe remarked sourly. “Even after that display you are willing to trust it with the lives of us and the crew.”

“It’s because of that display that I trust him.” Alex replied sharply. “Even when he was lashing out in frustration and confusion in the middle of an identity crisis he still held back. What more would you ask of him? Most human beings I knew didn’t have that kind of control.” 

“In a sense it’s like raising a child.” Mikhaila mused.

“A very dangerous child.” Elazar corrected. 

“But we can’t keep him locked in there forever.” Alex insisted. “The longer we keep him there the more resentful he’ll be and the less he’ll trust us. And we all know that’s the key to this. If we lose that, it’s over. Agreed?” He asked, looking around at the others.

After a long pause the others nodded.

“Let’s hope you’re right.” Danielle remarked grimly.

* * *

“Ko, I brought you something to make the time go quicker.” Alex called out as he stepped into the room some time later. Behind him one of the Operators pulled a simple wheeled platform with about a dozen or so hardback books laid out on it.

The hybrid glanced up curiously from the chair, its multiple eyes focusing on Alex as they merged into a single pair.

“Thank you.” He stated. “At least I won’t be quite so bored.”

“Well they’re not just for alleviating boredom.” Alex replied. “Consider this your first day of class, so to speak. We need to make sure you’re not only literate but whether you can understand the concepts in these books. That’ll be the first step in our evaluation of you and your training.” 

“Evaluation?” He asked. “Didn’t I get enough of one in the sim?”

“The sim was only the beginning.” Alex explained. “You passed the minimum requirements for the project to be considered a success. Now we need to expand on it and in the process expand your mind too. Trust me, you have a lot to learn and these will be a good starting point.”

“And your promise of letting me out?” He asked with a hint of challenge.

Alex nodded. “I haven’t forgotten. The others agreed you need to get out and meet them in person as well as the rest of the crew stationed here. We don’t want to overwhelm you or everyone else so we’re going to take it slow. Over the next day or two Danielle and the others will be visiting you one on one. Assuming everything goes fine we’ll let you out after that.” 

Ko nodded. “Fair enough.” He looked away for a moment before facing Alex again. “I...I wanted to apologize for my...outburst earlier. I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s alright, I understand.” Alex replied comfortingly. “The last few days have been very stressful for you and you’re in a very unique situation. I think you’ll find it gets easier as you go.”

The hybrid could only sigh at that. “I hope so.”

* * *

He spent the rest of the day reading the beginning chapters of the various books. Fortunately they were interesting and varied enough to keep him occupied for several days. Everything from mathematics, physics, and biology to art, history, and classical literature. He quickly confirmed his ability to read, the words unambiguous and clear enough though some of the more esoteric concepts and naming conventions in the literature and art books left him rather confused. For the first time he felt as though he had a purpose beyond merely sitting in the room being observed. Even so it was not entirely pleasant. He constantly felt ghostly sensations of half-knowing flow like ripples across his mind, the concepts he was reading about familiar and yet not, as if the contents were on the tip of his metaphorical tongue. He found it frustrating, reading things he felt he should already know or had read. 

It was the memories, of course, as he had never held a book in his hands before now. Typhon as a rule were not staunch advocates of literacy. 

Morgan had no doubt read countless texts in his time, books very similar to what he was reading now if not the same books. He wouldn’t put it past Alex to give him books his brother was fond of reading in an effort to create yet another bond between Morgan and himself that he was sure he didn’t want. He knew that Morgan’s neurons existed inside him, the mirror neurons and other cerebral connections spliced into his body in various places though he hardly knew exactly where. As with many things these days the thought brought both disgust and grudging appreciation to his mind. Having someone else’s thoughts, memories, physical bits of themselves, implanted in him without his consent or desire was abhorrent. Yet he was also aware that without Morgan’s cells, his memories and the ability to make connections between past and current learning, this entire process would be an order of magnitude more difficult. 

Deciding to take a break he sat back in the chair, closing his receptors and allowing himself to sink into the memories of his latest meeting between him and Alex. As he replayed the event in its entirely in his head he couldn’t help but notice that the vibrations around Alex’s head had often changed depending on what he was saying as well as his mood. He had thought little of it at the time, given his emotional state, but in hindsight this was obviously something important. Focusing on that aspect of the conversations he began to observe the interplay between the vibrations and the events surrounding them more carefully. He watched as they switched from subtle and gentle waves when Alex was being supportive and gentle to jagged and powerful spikes when he had lashed out at the man or made him consider an answer carefully before speaking. Yet even with that amount of variation they always contained a kind of undercurrent at their core. Pondering on that aspect for several minutes Morgan’s memories began to bubble to the surface of his mind, offering up analogies and comparisons he would not have considered. A memory of an orchestral performance he had watched years ago flashed across his mind showing the violinist taking center stage and playing a complex piece before the audience, culminating in a long, drawn out chord. Another memory came on the heels of the last, showing Morgan seated as his desk with an oscilloscope nearby showing a consistent and regularly fluctuating wave. 

_Not background noise...no...something more fundamental...an underlying state or lowest energy state perhaps..._ He considered, speaking to himself in Morgan’s voice to more easily capture the man’s analytical nature and use it for his own purposes. 

Recalling a concept in one of the physics books he had been reading he quickly grabbed it and began flicking through the pages swiftly, certain he was on to something. Finally he found the passage he was looking for.

_“As quantum field theory can be accurately described through perturbation theory, the properties of the quantum vacuum are analogous to the properties of the ground state of a quantum mechanical harmonic oscillator, or more accurately, the ground state of a Schrodinger wave function collapse...”_

_The ground state of the quantum vacuum is a field at its lowest energy state with logically zero energy and oscillation and no particles of any kind._ He considered. _And yet even in that state there is spontaneous generation of particles. Is that consistent underlying vibration I sensed a type of harmonic oscillation at its lowest level of excitability?...a ground state or underlying substrate of mental or psychic energy? Could this be a kind of foundational psychic frequency wave or the ground state of a mind in the psychic sense that the rest of the oscillations are built upon and are derived from?_

He toyed with the idea and expanded on it for a few hours until he found his vision becoming slightly fuzzy, his mind tired from the mental exertion. Sighing he went over to the bed and laid down, happy for the first time to have a place to rest his body and mind. Minutes later he was fast asleep.


	4. Chapter 3

“You don’t want to go?” Alex asked in surprise and a hint of confusion. “I thought we agreed…”

“I’m not...I’m not feeling up to this right now.” Mikhaila said curtly. 

"What’s wrong Mikhaila?” Alex asked sympathetically after a moment.

The brunette shook her head as she paced back and forth.

“He saved you in the sim.” He reminded her quietly. “Gave you your father’s files. You’ve watched him for days, you have nothing to be worried about.”

“You think I don’t know all that?!” She exclaimed in exasperation. “I watched it all, same as you!”

“Then what’s the problem?” Alex insisted, his voice still even though she could hear a hint of impatience.

Mikhaila finally stopped and leaned on a nearby desk. “...Fine. I’ll go.”

“If you’re really not feeling up to it I can have one of the others go in your place.” Alex said placatingly.

Mikhaila shoved off the desk, smoothing her hair back. “No...I’m being foolish and I know it.” She sighed. “I’ll go.”

Alex gazed at her carefully before nodding.

* * *

_ Kobalt’s room… _

Morning had come quickly enough and while he still felt somewhat sluggish given the minimal meal he had eaten some time ago he was still alert enough to sense someone new coming down the hall. While he had no desire to be like Morgan any more than he had to be he was also well aware that his normal form would be off-putting for whomever it was, especially seeing him in the flesh for the first time. The last thing he wanted was for them to be uncomfortable around him so for the time being, until he could create a new ‘look’ he found satisfactory, he would stick with Morgan.

_ Even if they didn’t like him much on Talos, it’ll be easier to converse with a human. I doubt they want to see him in a station suit though. Maybe I can try something a little different... _

Focusing on Morgan’s ever-increasing well of memories inside him he sought for the images and impressions he wanted before carefully translating those fragments into reality. Matter swirled as his body condensed, his facsimile of Morgan’s form appearing smoothly with minimal effort before he began to carefully alter the outer layer of his skin, changing the red and black station suit he wore in the sim to something more personable, something Morgan had worn. Fortunately for a Typhon changing the outer appearance of a mimicked object was simplicity itself, like a chameleon changing its colors to match the background it was sitting against.

He had just finished checking out the change and had gotten to his feet when the door swished open and Mikhaila stepped into the room, an Operator trailing in her wake with a load of materials on a cart. A sudden ravenous urge surged through him upon seeing her psychic aura but Kobalt pushed it down forcefully as he smiled in welcome at his first teacher. “Good morning Mikhaila.” He said pleasantly and smoothly in Morgan’s voice. “I’ve been looking forward to seeing you in the flesh.”

He was shocked at what happened next.

_ Moments earlier... _

Mikhaila sighed as she made her way to the room, the Operator assigned to her following dutifully after her, pulling a cart of school materials and a few books. 

_ It’ll be fine. _ She kept telling herself as she activated the stud next to the door, causing it to open as she walked in.  _ You heard Alex there’s nothing to worry about...  _

She stopped and stared in surprise. Morgan stood there near the bed, a predatory smile on his face, his eyes staring at her with disconcerting intensity and what seemed like hunger. He was dressed in a college student’s outfit of a simple white button down shirt, dark slacks, and brown loafers that were popular in Japan when Morgan had gone to school. 

“Good morning Mikhaila.” He said in a tone that was filled with anticipation. “I’ve been looking forward to seeing you in the flesh.”

Cold shot down her spine as she trembled, staring at the predatory thing wearing Morgan’s skin and using his voice before she spun, racing out of the room, the door swiftly shutting behind her.

As the door slammed shut Kobalt stared after her in shock, his smile falling from his face as he sat down heavily on the bed.

* * *

Mikhaila marched swiftly back the way she had come through the various security doors. As Alex looked out the doorway of the control room with a confused look on his face she stormed by him without pause.

“Send Igwe!” She demanded as she rounded the corner and disappeared from sight.

Alex let out a quiet sigh, rubbing his face with a hand. “Confound it woman.” He grumbled softly before turning back into the room. Keeping an eye on the monitors he paged Igwe.

“Dayo, can you take over for Mikhaila?”

“What happened?” His grim voice came over the intercom.

“Apparently she’s feeling...indisposed.” Alex replied. “Could you start the first lesson?”

“I shall be there momentarily.” Igwe replied.

* * *

Kobalt’s thoughts spun as he tried to analyze the situation, his confusion constantly leading him back to the same question.

_ What did I do wrong? _

He was certain he had done everything right. Morgan’s face was as well known to him as...well he would have said his own but Typhon had no need for such an expressive face. Even so, it was something he was intimately familiar with having lived with it in the sim and Morgan had certainly known his own face better than anyone. His copy of Morgan’s body had been perfect as well, he had looked at himself quickly before Mikhaila had come in and he certainly did not appear malformed. The clothing and their coloring was spot on and he had smiled at her as he welcomed her. While he was not an expert in human emotions and expressions Morgan’s memories had given him enough general knowledge to know that humans found smiles to be disarming and calming. 

Clearly there was something fundamental he had missed given her extreme reaction.

Was it the words he had used? Was it the tone? He shook his head sadly as he felt a sour sensation in his core, his insides seemingly gnawing at themselves, the ache he felt before still spiking slightly here and there. He had tried to make the best first impression he could and he had utterly failed.

And he thought he was doing well!

The door swished open again and his head jerked up in surprise, expecting to see Mikhaila standing in the doorway. Instead Igwe stood there in a simple collared shirt and slacks, his gaze flat and considering behind his glasses.

Kobalt sat up a bit straighter at this as Igwe stepped into the room, taking several of the texts on the Operator’s trolley and walking over to the table nearby without a word.

“Where’s Mikhaila?” He asked in concern, static clinging to the edges of his voice.

“Apparently she did not feel well enough to start your instruction today, hence why I am here.” He replied dismissively. “Come and sit down.”

Kobalt’s eyes widened in surprise.  _ I...made her sick? She was only with me for a few seconds!...What could I have done that...did I frighten her that much?!  _ He wondered in horrified dismay. 

“Come and sit down.” Igwe insisted, glancing up at him expectantly.

Kobalt closed his eyes in consternation for a moment before he nodded and walked over to the table, sitting down near Igwe.

"Now then,” the man began briskly, seemingly ignoring Kobalt’s somewhat morose face, “we shall begin with some basic analysis of your mental capabilities and general understanding. Given that you spent multiple hours examining the various texts that were provided by Dr. Yu I presume you have at least a basic understanding of their contents, correct?”

Kobalt nodded, forcing his insides to be still and attempting to push his worry to the back of his mind. “Yes, I was able to read them and at least understand some of what was written.” He admitted.

Igwe nodded. “Excellent, that will make progress much easier. Before we continue did you have any questions about what you read or any concepts that confused you?”

Kobalt shrugged. “Some of the terms used in the art books didn’t make much sense to me but I suppose they were titles for the art form being discussed. Other than that…” He trailed off.

Igwe nodded thoughtfully. “Better than I expected. Very well. Highlight what confused you and we will look at them in turn as we go through each text.” He said, gesturing to one of the highlighter markers on the table. “Show me what you have read so far in each book and see if you can provide me a summary of what was discussed so that we can confirm your understanding and retention of the material. This will not only allow us to confirm your understanding but help us understand your own thought processes as well.” He instructed.

Kobalt rose and moved to the pile of books, bringing them over a few at a time and showing Igwe how far he had gotten in each one. The man quickly perused the first few sections of each to familiarize himself with the material before asking for Kobalt to explain what he had learned, nodding occasionally as Kobalt regurgitated his learning to the man and pointing out a few bits that he did not understand. As he spoke he kept an eye on the man’s neural halo, shoving down the aching spike that occasionally shot through him. Curiously he could hear faint echoes of a piano behind the man’s thoughts similar to the orchestral waves he had heard around Alex. Unlike Alex’s more relaxed psychic waves however, Igwe’s were constantly in sharp motion, spiking and cresting constantly as he spoke, his mind swiftly moving from one topic to the next.

“Your aptitude at assimilating new information is impressive.” Igwe stated after nearly an hour of constant testing as he made several notes on a pad. “Especially considering your unfamiliarity with human logic structures and mental schema.”

Kobalt glanced up at him with a frown.

“I must admit that I did not expect Morgan’s neurons to have such a profound and immediate effect as they did.” Igwe continued blithely as he continued making notes. “For Project Cobalt to be considered a success we had to prove that a Typhon could empathize like a human as well as comprehend us as independent beings with our own intelligence. There was nothing in the project charter about the test subject being able to communicate with us verbally or comprehend complex concepts immediately, regardless of the medium used. Obviously the implants were far more successful than we could have anticipated.” 

Kobalt could feel his insides twist unpleasantly inside at the dispassionate way the man discussed him and his abilities, as if the neurons themselves were the only thing relevant to him. A sudden thought came to him then, a ghostly sensation of Morgan’s hackles rising coming to the surface of his mind. 

“How many?” He asked quietly.

“Hmmm?” Igwe asked distractedly, still scanning his notes.

“How many were there?” Kobalt asked in a tense tone.

Igwe glanced up before frowning, seeing Kobalt’s body shifting erratically in small spurts here and there, the hybrid’s gaze piercing. 

“What’s wrong?” He asked mildly.

“How...many...test...subjects...were there?” He demanded softly. “How many went through that sim and got implanted with Morgan’s neurons before me?”

Igwe gazed at him with detached curiosity. “Dozens. Why?” He asked with a slight hint of challenge.

“Where are they now?” He asked, leaning forward slightly.

Igwe’s gaze never wavered, never blinked as he watched Kobalt slowly becoming more agitated, his form slowly beginning to lose his coherence.

“I believe you know the answer to that.” Igwe replied flatly after a moment.

“TELL ME!” The hybrid shouted, slamming a blackening fist on the desk, making the book and markers jump.

Igwe sat back in shock at the reaction, his eyes scanning every inch of Kobalt’s body as the hybrid finally lost cohesion completely, reverting back to his Typhon form. Towering over the scientist the creature’s pair of visual receptors focused on him, his claws twitching.

Igwe swallowed softly, holding himself still. “They were...incompatible with the neurons...or they did not display the proper…”

“ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTION YOU COLD-HEARTED BASTARD!” Kobalt shouted at him, his voice filled with static as he loomed over him. “WHAT! HAPPENED! TO! THEM!”

Igwe’s mouth opened slightly as he stared upward, his jaw working to try and speak the words before he finally replied. 

“They...they were...euthanized.”

Igwe watched the creature shiver seemingly in distaste, his claws balling into fists. 

“You can’t even say it can you?” Kobalt hissed furiously in Morgan’s static-laced voice. “You can kill...murder...it’s so easy for you but you can’t even admit to what you did! Euthanize?! Is that what you call it?! Just because they didn’t--”

Igwe observed him carefully, his face set. “Morgan...authorized it. I was simply following orders.”

Spikes of dark matter shot from Kobalt’s shoulders and arms, quivering as his body shook. “Get out!” He hissed furiously.

Igwe sat still for a moment, staring at him before standing quickly and leaving the room, leaving Kobalt to stew in impotent anger, the spikes slowly retracting, his insides like a cyclone.

* * *

Alex sat in the padded chair of the control room watching as Igwe left Kobalt’s room. Several minutes later Igwe stepped into the room, sitting down at the small conference table behind him.

“Well?” Alex asked neutrally, his gaze still on the monitors.

“A anxiety-inducing experience to be sure.” Igwe said with a quiet sigh of relief. “But still valuable as well as insightful.”

“You’re not going to endear yourself to him by acting like he’s a bug under your microscope.” Alex pointed out.

“It is not my intention to ‘endear’ myself to it as you put it.” Igwe replied impassively. “The subject passed the first test by completing the simulation. Now we must continue with further testing to ensure the qualities we implanted into it via the neurons remain consistent.”

“I would have thought my interactions with him would have confirmed that.” Alex rebutted.

“A sample size of one is no sample size at all.” Igwe sniffed. “You wish to confirm it can exist safely alongside humans? What better way to test that than with a person it dislikes intensely?”

Alex turned to gaze at Igwe with an intrigued look. “You intentionally provoked him.”

“I intentionally took on a persona he expected me to have based on his interactions with the simulation’s avatar.” Igwe stated bluntly. “A cold, unfeeling scientist who only cares about the results. One lacking any empathy for their test subjects whatsoever.”

“That was rather dangerous what you did.” Alex suggested. “Especially at the end. I’ve never seen him grow spikes before.”

“The subject is dangerous purely by its physiology, like any other wild animal. Fortunately your interactions with it proved it could control itself even when under considerable mental distress. I felt confident I could retain my continued well-being even after provoking it to a degree.”

“You call this a degree?” Alex asked with a hint of challenge, waving a hand at the monitors. “He’s furious with you. We’ll be lucky if he’s willing to be in the same room with you after this.”

“I highly doubt that.” Igwe reposted, his accent becoming a bit denser. “And he does not have to like me in order to learn from me. Children learn under the tutelage of detestable instructors all the time and yet they still succeed. This is no different. Mikhaila said he is like a child. Fine. Then let him learn about the world like a child does, with all the disappointments and frustrations that go with it. You cannot keep him in a bubble and hope he will turn out well-adjusted. Even I, having no children of my own, know that path leads only to ruin.”

Alex sighed, slumping a bit in his chair. “You make a good point.” He admitted ruefully. “Even though I’m loathe to admit it. There’s going to be plenty of people who are...abrasive around him. He’ll need to get used to that.” Straightening a bit he glanced back at the screens to ensure Kobalt had not started to destroy anything before looking back at Igwe. “You said the experience was valuable and insightful. Care to elaborate?”

Igwe sat back in the chair, tenting his fingers as he relaxed a bit, dropping the mask he had worn. “Seeing him ‘in the flesh’ was...an interesting experience.” He began. “Mikhaila’s departure obviously had a negative impact on him. I took note of his disposition even though I took care to hide it to see his reaction. He is obviously concerned about her and, if my suspicions are correct, he sees himself as the cause of her distress. Even so he was willing to begin the lesson and focus on the task at hand. A significant point as many children often become distracted while distressed.”

“He’s not in elementary school.” Alex suggested. “Nor is he at that mental level.”

“Once again you’re making assumptions.” Igwe pointed out with a hint of annoyance. “Everything must be tested and confirmed. For all we know this will be the only successful test subject, we cannot take anything for granted. He can speak and reason like a young adult and I am extremely thankful for that but the boundaries of his mind must be examined. To continue, his cognition and understanding of standard logic structures and linear deduction is on par with any standard human. He can learn information and come to a logical conclusion. He is capable of linking cause and effect, he understands the concept of entropic or linear time, and has even asked some probing questions about complex concepts when working with quantum mechanics and literature. I could go on for quite some time and I will be writing up all of my findings in a report but my overall analysis is that the neurons have successfully integrated with him to such a degree that they are helping to create new neural networks inside him and are also linking Morgan’s memories to them, enhancing his comprehension and ability to learn. We will need to do some scans to check this of course but given the distributed nature of a Typhon’s cerebral cortex I expect it to be denser than before with many more interconnections between Morgan’s neurons and his own.”

Alex nodded. “We put more of Morgan’s neurons into him than we did any of the other test subjects, makes sense he’d have more of Morgan’s past and knowledge to draw on.” He mused. “Speaking of them, why do you think he questioned you about the other test subjects?”

“I was intentionally focusing on the fact of Morgan’s neurons doing much of the ‘heavy lifting’ regarding his comprehension and his ability to communicate. If I read his expression correctly he was becoming frustrated by that. If he were a human child I would think his anger stemmed from the fact that I was not giving him enough credit as it were, dismissing what he was capable of merely due to the fact of the implanted neurons and not any effort on his part. Again, I am making some very large assumptions but his behavior and personality thus far resemble a young human rather than a Typhon so I am forced to work from that basis of reasoning.” He said, spreading his hands. 

“My constant mentioning of that fact may have sparked a latent question in his mind about whether he was the first or whether there were others that came before him. I believe he made several logical deductions based on his understanding of our procedures while on Talos. From his experiences in the simulation he would have some understanding of scientific experimentation and how we went about them, the steps we took and so on. If he generalized those procedures and applied them to his own situation, which is also quite an impressive mental feat as well, he could come to the conclusion that there were other test subjects before him and be curious about them.”

Alex rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “It makes sense but it concerns me how furious he became upon learning the truth about them. Do you think he wants revenge for what we did to the other specimens?”

Igwe narrowed his eyes, resting his chin on his fist in thought for several moments until he glanced up. “It is possible that is the case.” He admitted. “Or it could--”

“It’s obvious if you think about it.” A voice came from the door.

“The two looked over to see Danielle standing in the doorway.

“Ah, come join us.” Alex offered with a smile. “You were listening in I assume?”

“I keep my Transcribe linked to the intercom system so I can always hear what’s going on in here.” She replied easily, stepping into the room and sitting down across from Igwe. 

“So...we’re missing something obvious according to you?” Alex asked her.

The Asian woman smiled. “Quite. If you recall we implanted him with Morgan’s neurons to make him empathetic. That was the whole point of this experiment. Why is it confusing you that he would feel empathy towards the suffering of beings who aren’t human? You didn’t somehow program the neurons to only care about humans after all. Any suffering of others would cause him discomfort.” She looked over at Igwe. “And you just told him that you killed dozens of others without a lick of remorse because they didn’t meet the experiment’s minimum standards. How did you expect him to feel about that little revelation?” She turned back to Alex. “I think you succeeded a little too well.”

Igwe looked at Alex in consideration. “Assuming she is accurate in how he processes such information she could very well be correct.” He admitted. “I did note that during the simulation his empathy quotient was extremely high. Morgan’s empathy became skewed after considerable neuromod testing and his own personal experiences but implanting said neurons into a partial ‘tabula rasa’, an almost blank canvas as it were, would allow them to reset themselves.”

“So he may feel empathy towards the Typhon and humans.” Alex mused. “That’s almost as concerning as the other possibility about wanting revenge for their deaths.”

“I’d say we’re getting ahead of ourselves.” Danielle remarked. “Before you start deciding on how to brainwash your new pet Typhon so he only cares about humans and their interests maybe you should ask him how he feels.”

Alex let out a quiet chuckle. “Ever the pragmatist. I was actually thinking about doing that anyway. Hopefully I can get him to calm down.” He heaved himself out of the chair and began walking towards the door. “Never a dull moment, always having to put out fires.” He sighed.

“I thought that was Mikhaila’s job.” Danielle teased as Alex exited the room.

* * *

He surged back and forth across the room, his claws itching to tear into the arrogant scientist. The last time he had felt like this he had been confused, frightened, and desperate. Now he was simply furious and his insides felt as though they were going to rip him apart. 

Hearing the door open he spun, ready to flash across the room in an instant and smash Igwe into the wall if he dared to show his face again. Instead Alex stood in the doorway, his face impassive and his mental aura calm.

“Come to justify what that --KRRRRSSSSSHZZZZZTTHZZZZZ-- did?!” Kobalt demanded, his speech momentarily degenerating into a roar of what sounded like cosmic radio static for a moment.

Alex blinked in surprise at this. “Did you just call Igwe something vulgar?”

“That should be the least of his worries!” Kobalt retorted, static still heavy in his modulating voice. “When I see that -SSHZZZZZTTHZZZ- again I’ll--”

“Calm down!” Alex insisted firmly with a glare. “You’re behaving like an immature teenager.”

“WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!” He shouted in frustration, flashing across the room and looming over Alex, his body twisting and undulating in agitation.

Alex gazed up at him like a stern parent disciplining a child. “I want you to calm down and talk to me like a rational person.” Alex stated in a quiet but firm voice. “Can you do that please Kobalt?”

Snarling roughly the hybrid spun away, pacing back and forth, his claws twitching. Finally he slowed, taking in several harsh breaths as he leaned heavily against the table before looking over at Alex. While the Typhon’s face had no expression he was quite sure he was on the receiving end of a death glare.

“Thank you Ko.” Alex said with quiet respect, stepping further into the room. “I know Igwe can be quite...difficult to be around at times.”

“You think that’s what this is about?!” Ko asked with a growl.

Alex shook his head. “No. I know what this is about.” He said quietly as he approached the seething hybrid. “Tell me what you’re feeling right now. Please. It may seem silly or foolish to you but I need to know so I can help you.”

“I feel like I’m going to fly apart and rip everything to shreds!” Kobalt snarled, his claws digging into the table’s edge, making it groan slightly. “I feel like my insides are going in circles...I feel…” Alex watched as Kobalt began to lean more onto the table, his visual receptors closing. “It...it hurts…” He hissed. “After Mikhaila...left...Igwe said she was sick...and when I saw her...I felt…” Kobalt bowed his head before letting out a whine of radio static.

Alex slowly approached the suffering hybrid. “Tell me what you felt Ko.” Alex pressed softly.

“The halo...around her head...wanted it so bad…” He whined. “Still hurts...like spikes inside me...and I made her run...scared her...WHAT DID I DO?!” He cried.

“Halo?” Alex asked in quiet confusion.

“I can see it!” Kobalt keened. “Around you...Mikhaila...like waves...spikes...”

Alex’s eyes widened at this, his mind racing. “What does mine look like now?” He asked.

Kobalt’s head snapped to look at Alex, his receptors switching from six to four to two in a second. “Spikes racing about all over your head. I can hear fast orchestra music…”

Kobalt flashed over to him and Alex took a step back as the creature loomed over him, radiating desperate desire barely held in check. Suddenly the pieces fell into place.

“I know what’s happening.” Alex informed him bluntly. “Just hold on, I’ll be back.”

Alex quickly turned and left the room leaving him behind, making his way back to the control room. Ignoring Danielle and Dayo’s questioning looks he activated the comms, paging Mikhaila.

“Mikhaila get some psi hypos and anything else that’s psycho-reactive down here. Be quick about it!”

“What’s going on?” She asked quickly.

“Unless I miss my guess,” Alex replied, staring at the monitors as the hybrid stalked towards the Operator floating within the room, “I’d say Ko has a serious case of hunger pangs.” 

* * *

He couldn’t wait any longer. The gnawing inside of him was growing worse by the second, the spikes of raw need more and more frequent. He’d been able to hold back while Igwe was in the room but after his outburst everything seemed to be racing out of control. As it was he’d barely held himself in check when flashing over to Alex. While the Operator had no neural halo like the others he could sense the electricity and simple A.I programming zipping through the circuits beneath its chassis like neurons firing. 

As he reached forward to grasp his prey he only hoped Alex would forgive him.

His fingers dug into the metal with worrying ease, making it squeal and groan before his claw tips reached the mass of circuit boards making up the Operator’s interior. There was a sudden sense of his body pulling with everything in him like trying to take a huge drink through a straw and a massive electrical discharge surged from the Operator’s innards into his arms. He let out a roar that was half cosmic background noise and half human yell as power surged through his body. His vision was filled with lines of code and he could feel his mind expanding with indexes of information that made up the Operator’s data archives. Video feeds, audio instructions, and a thousand other technical details slotted themselves into his memory before his fingers finally released the dying machine on instinct, having retrieved what he needed. The Operator fell to the floor with a crash of metal and warbling incoherent error messages as it sparked and squealed before lying still.

Kobalt stood there, his shoulders slightly hunched as he stared down at his first victim. His body thrummed, making him feel more alert and energized than he had been since even before the simulation ended, the gnawing, ravenous hunger gone, his body satiated. Even so, the worry and sour feeling he had felt after Mikhaila had left returned in full force.

_ That’s...that’s what I want to do to them isn’t it?! Take their heads in my hands and… _

He had a sudden vision of Alex standing before him as he grabbed the man’s head with his claws, pulling him forward while a gaping maw opened when a mouth would be, engulfing the man’s head and his neural halo, tasting the glorious psyche as he--

The hybrid let out a static-filled scream of self-loathing as he knelt before the machine, slamming his fists against it, buckling the metal and plastic beneath them. He stayed there for an unknown amount of time, letting out soft miserable cries as he knelt on all fours, his body shaking. He was blind and deaf to the door opening a few minutes later as well as Alex’s footsteps as he slowly approached. It wasn’t until he felt Alex’s hand resting on his shoulder that he registered he wasn’t alone.

“Ko…” Alex began quietly.

Kobalt screeched as he scrambled away from Alex, curling up in the corner. As Alex watched his body shifted, altering his form rapidly until a mug with a small Transtar logo on it sat where Kobalt had been.

Experiment or not Alex could not help but feel sorry for the hybrid as he slowly made his way over to where the cup was sitting before sitting down in front of it. Unsure of whether Kobalt would be able to make out the words he wanted to say he instead chose a more tactile approach, taking hold of the cup and stroking its sides with a hand in what he hoped was a comforting manner. After a minute or two he felt it begin to vibrate in his hands. Carefully setting it down on the floor before him but still maintaining contact he continued to stroke it until it flew apart in a mass of writhing dark matter, coalescing into Kobalt’s Typhon form, still hunched over and looking entirely wretched.

“It’s alright Ko.” Alex assured him gently. “I understand. Everything’s okay.”

Ko shook his head. “It’s not.” He said dejectedly in his static-y voice. “I broke it...and…”

“An Operator can be replaced Ko.” Alex replied quietly.

“You can’t!” He cried miserably, clutching his head in his claws. “M-Mikhaila can’t…”

Alex let out a slow breath at this. “Ko...this was my fault. We barely gave you anything to eat yesterday and we hadn’t given you anything since. It’s not your fault that you got so hungry you needed to eat something, even if it was an Operator. This was my fault and I’m sorry I was so thoughtless.”

Ko let out a quiet noise before he slowly began to transform into Morgan, his body shifting and altering its colors so that he appeared as he did earlier when Mikhaila had arrived. It was only after the shift had completed that Kobalt slowly turned to look at Alex, making the man freeze for an instant at the look of utter terror and misery in his brother’s eyes.

“It could have been you.” He said in a quiet, haunted voice interspersed with static. “It could have been...her. It felt so good taking it…” Alex could see Morgan’s eyes becoming wet with tears as the hybrid glanced at the downed Operator. “It felt like…” He shook his head, facing away from Alex again.

Steadying himself Alex rested a hand on Ko’s shoulder. “It felt like…” He prompted softly.

“Like I finally caught it.” He whispered hoarsely. “Like I caught it and it couldn’t stop me now...couldn’t stop me from...it felt so good...like I won...”

Alex’s mind suddenly recalled Kobalt’s roar as he watched the hybrid consume the Operator on the monitors. At the time he thought Kobalt to be in pain from the sudden electrical surge but hearing his words now made him see that sound in a totally different light for it was not one of pain but rather of victory. The image of a lion running down a zebra in the African plains, pouncing on it and ripping out its throat before roaring in victory and devouring it piece by piece flowed across his mind before he refocused on the despairing Typhon before him.

“Ko…” Alex said quietly. “What you felt is normal. I promise you didn’t do anything wrong. Feeling like that isn’t a sin either. Humans feel the same way when we accomplish something noteworthy. That sense of...exultation...victory...humans have been that way since the beginning. You’re no different in that regard. We may justify those feelings with pretty words and explanations but in the end we’re just like any other animal, doing everything we can to survive and thrive and we celebrate when we achieve what we set out to do.”

“I just KILLED IT!” Kobalt shouted miserably, snapping his head to stare at Alex desperately.

“Ko...it was a machine. Something that can be replaced. It wasn’t alive...it wasn’t one of us. You held out as long as you could and you didn’t hurt anyone. That’s what counts. We’ll make sure it doesn’t get to this point again. I promise, it’s alright.” Alex said soothingly in response, rubbing Ko’s back.

Ko stared at Alex for a moment longer before he finally nodded slightly, letting his gaze fall and turning his head a bit, his breathing less harsh as he slowly let himself go, transforming slowly into his Typhon form a few moments later.

Sighing mentally in relief Alex continued to rub the distraught Typhon’s back for several minutes as he slowly uncurled himself before finally looking up at Alex with two pairs of white orbs.

“It’s okay?” He asked in an unsure and warbly voice. 

Alex nodded. “Yeah. It’s okay.” He replied quietly. “Come on...come sit down.” He said, gesturing to the bed nearby.

Nodding Kobalt slowly got to his feet with Alex following after him. The Typhon made his way to the bed, sinking down on it and resting his back against the wall with a sigh. Alex took a moment to take in the sight, allowing the normally absurd image of an unsure and worn out Phantom to bring a slight smile to his face before he sat down on the bed next to Ko.

“So...putting aside all the other things for a moment, do you feel better now that you ate something?” He asked.

Ko nodded silently.

“When I realized what was happening, I asked Mikhaila to bring me more psychostimulants for you. It took her a little bit to get them all together so I could bring them down. I’ll leave them here to make sure you have something to eat later. In the meantime…”

Ko looked over at him, radiating tiredness. “Don’t make me eat another one.” He pleaded quietly.

“We’ll figure this out Ko.” Alex assured him, patting his leg. “I’m sure between all of us and the fabricators we can work something out.”

They sat there for a few minutes in silence before Alex glanced over at him. “You should know Mikhaila’s alright. Igwe was rather...vague with his words earlier. You didn’t do anything to her.”

“She ran away...I scared her...I tried my best...thought I was…” Ko rambled.

“It’s alright Ko.” Alex replied. “You scared her for a moment but she’s alright now. We’ll work on that too.”

“What did I do wrong?” Ko asked in a small voice.

“Mmmm...let’s just say you were a bit overeager and Mikhaila wasn’t quite ready to meet you yet.” Alex explained. “That’s why Igwe had to come down and start the lesson.”

“Don’t want Igwe again.” Ko replied a bit petulantly.

Alex nodded. “I know...but unfortunately he needs to be one of your teachers. We don’t have a lot of people who could teach you what you need to know. We don’t always get what we want in life Ko, sometimes you just have to grit your teeth and slog through it until you get to the other side.” He explained with a hint of world-weariness in his voice.

He heard the hybrid sigh before nodding reluctantly. “Will you...will you tell Mikhaila I’m sorry for...whatever I did?”

Alex nodded. “I will. I’m sure she’ll appreciate it. I know you’re trying hard Ko and she knows it too. Step by step, Ko...step by step.”

More minutes passed in silence before Kobalt looked over at him.

“I think...I’ll be okay now.” Ko said quietly.

“You’d like to be alone?” Alex asked.

“For a little while.” Ko said. “If I...if I need you I’ll...wave my arms or something.” 

Alex nodded. “So you know.”

Kobalt snorted. “Be pretty silly of you not to. I assumed that after the first hour I got here. Can you hear me too or is it just video?”

“Sound too.” Alex replied after a moment. “No need to wave your arms around, just call out.”

“Always watching huh?” Ko remarked. “Good thing I don’t have any other urges that need taking care of.” He teased lightly.

Alex rumbled in quiet exasperation with a shake of his head before slowly standing and making his way across the room. “Teenagers.” He muttered.

“I heard that!” Ko called to him as he exited the room, making the Typhon snicker before he slowly laid down on the bed and allowing himself to relax.


	5. Chapter 4

“What did I tell you?” Danielle suggested rather smugly as the group minus Mikhaila sat in the facility’s commissary eating lunch a short time later.

“Looks like you were right after all.” Alex admitted as he speared a piece of tofu on his plate. “He felt terribly guilty for destroying that Operator. He was literally crying over it when I got there.”

“The disconnect between his dual natures, his natural instincts as a Typhon and the mirror neurons’ human empathy seems to be increasing.” Igwe noted. “Most humans would not feel so concerned about damaging a piece of equipment.”

“Well he was ravenously hungry at the time and he outright stated it felt like he had finally caught some prey and eaten it.” Alex remarked. “Add in his worry for Mikhaila and his anger at you and it’s not surprising that he would be emotionally distraught. The straw that broke the camel’s back so to speak.”

“I feel as though I am the only one taking the logical approach to this situation.” Igwe sighed. “Feeling some guilt over wanting to attack one’s prey is one thing. I even agree that the various other factors most likely made him much more unbalanced than normal. Even so, it is taking such emotions to an extreme level; it outright said it ‘killed’ the Operator. Considering the fact that it destroyed countless numbers of Dahl’s Operators in the simulation it seems very strange to me that it should become so emotional over a single Operator at this point.”

“Looking at it from a ‘human’ perspective his reaction was fairly reasonable if a bit excessive and the other factors you brushed off would explain that.” Danielle replied. “In his mind his baser instincts took over and he lost control of himself which resulted in the destruction of something possibly sentient or if nothing else an important piece of equipment that did not belong to him. In the simulation he believed he was fighting for not only his life but for the lives of others. This situation is different; the Operator was most likely ‘innocent’ in his mind, not a kill-bot. Empathy isn’t just feeling sorry for another person after all, it’s being able to put yourself into their shoes, in this case either the Operator’s or one of us. How was he supposed to feel?”

Igwe rolled his eyes at this. “Why do I get the feeling you are making excuses for its behavior?”

“You still aren’t referring to Kobalt as ‘him’ or ‘he’.” Elazar noted. “You said your cold scientist persona was just that, a mask to use for training him, but I get the feeling it’s a little too easy for you to slip into that persona.”

Igwe deigned not to answer but merely gave her an irritated glance.

“I have to say,” Elazar continued, “if his empathy is actually increasing it’s a bit concerning. If he’s going to act this way about a single destroyed Operator how is going to cope when having to deal with other Typhon he might be forced to kill, not to mention--”

“It’s only been a few days since he got out of the sim.” Alex stated firmly after swallowing another bite. “Let’s not make mountains out of molehills. He’s still coming to terms with his own body and his situation which is already quite stressful. He hasn’t even had a single lesson yet never mind combat training. We’ll deal with issues as they come and his actions in the simulation prove he’s capable of doing what needs to be done. Besides, this might be a good thing. After all, if he can empathize and feel this deeply, then potentially other Typhon can as well.”

The others considered that as they ate quietly for a few moments before Elazar brought up another point. “You said he mentioned some kind of halo around your head. Something that he desired. I can only assume, knowing what we do about the Typhon, that he is seeing some kind of psychic potential or mental activity?”

“Based on what he described that sounds right, though I need to question him further.” Alex replied. “Curiously he hasn’t mentioned it before now.”

“Keeping secrets as well.” Igwe remarked. “Not a good sign.”

“He may not have known what to do with the information.” Danielle suggested.

“Something else to look into.” Alex agreed.

“Are you going to explain the situation with the other test subjects?” Igwe prompted.  
“When he brings it up again I will.” Alex replied. “I think everything else that happened pushed it out of his mind for the moment. It’s not a conversation I look forward to having but at some point it’s going to come up again, we can’t pretend it won’t. For now let’s just focus on getting a routine down with him and start having him hit the books. That will help keep him calm, having a routine and something to focus on every day.”

He sat back with a satisfied sigh a moment later . “So...who wants to tell Mikhaila what we discussed? She wasn’t at the debriefing this morning either.”

“I’ve been recording these conversations on my Transcribe in case I needed to refer back to them.” Igwe replied. “I will send her a copy of both in a few moments.”

Alex nodded. “Good. She can listen to it on monitor duty tonight if nothing else.”

* * *

_Later that evening…_

Mikhaila sat in the control room, observing the monitors. Frankly there was little to see at the moment as the Typhon was apparently sleeping and had been doing so for several hours. The Russian leaned forward, resting her elbows against the desk and resting her chin on her hands as she pondered the creature, reviewing what had happened that morning over and over in her mind and comparing it to the discussions the others had that day with a frown. Coming to a decision she rolled the chair over to another terminal and began entering commands into it, using her override codes as Chief Systems Engineer to disable the cameras and microphones inside the room. Making another adjustment to the feeds she froze them in place to ensure the monitors would constantly show the last five seconds of video and audio feed continuously. Committed now, she rose and left the room, shutting the door behind her and walking down the hall and through the various security doors. After a few moments she approached Ko’s door. Moving to a control panel nearby she adjusted the master control settings for the room, ensuring the lights remained dim when she entered.  
Walking back Mikhaila activated the stud, allowing the door to swish open quietly. Stepping inside it closed behind her. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light she saw the hybrid lying on the bed at the other end of the room, apparently asleep and facing away from her. Walking slowly she glanced at the spot where the destroyed Operator had lain, having been taken out of the room earlier and the spot cleaned. Glancing back to the bed’s occupant she softly stepped forward, crossing the room until she stood next to the bed, gazing down at the Typhon. Even asleep its body flowed sluggishly like treacle along his form. After watching him for a few moments she slowly reached her hand forward to lightly touch his shoulder.

Nothing.

Letting out a soft breath she ran her hand along his shoulder, his dark matter exterior cool and vaguely feeling like thick liquid though it did not stick to her hand. Her hand slowly moved down the slightly smokey arm before her fingers traced his long claws at the end of his hand. Kneeling next to the bed she continued to study him silently...

_Ko's POV..._

He continued to lay still, not daring to move as Mikhaila examined him. His mind, however, was going a million miles a minute. He had been dozing when he had heard the door open. Fortunately he had recognized who it was without turning around; his brief contact with Mikhaila earlier that morning had given him enough of a memory that he could replay it. He had gone over it multiple times that day, enough to recall her scent and the sound of her movements when she entered. Unwilling to frighten her again he made sure to lay quite still, pretending to be asleep as she approached. His heightened senses could tell that while she was not exactly on edge she was still uneasy if her swift heartbeat, shallow breathing, and faint hint of sweat were anything to go by. As he felt her hand touch his shoulder a brief burst of half-memory and instinct swirled through him. The feeling became stronger as her hand slid down his arm, a desire to turn towards her...to reconnect…

He mentally shook himself, confused about these new feelings he was experiencing. He had never met Mikhaila before now except in the sim and this desire to reconnect with her was something he did not understand, though he had to admit the touch of her hand sliding along his arm was pleasant, almost tender as she carefully examined his claws. He felt her hand move away a moment later and heard her clothing shift softly. Even now he refused to move, making himself vulnerable to her again like he had in the simulation, wanting her to become more comfortable around him.

He felt her fingertips resting lightly against the side of his head before they began to trace the flowing material that criss crossed it. Making a decision he slowly began to roll onto his back, pretending to still be asleep. The moment he moved her hand was jerked back with a soft gasp, her heart rate spiking slightly before she seemed to calm as she watched him move, his visual receptors still closed...

Mikhaila let out a soft sigh of relief as she examined his face, his body still and his eyes closed. Swallowing, she reached forward again, resting her hand against his slightly writhing torso. Suddenly she recalled what she had said at the end of the simulation through the virtual Operator as he sat there in the chair, awaiting her judgement.

_...That says a lot, I think, about it’s heart. Can I say that it has a heart?_

_Ko's POV..._

_...That says a lot, I think, about it’s heart. Can I say that it has a heart?_

The words echoed in his mind clear as day and at that moment he was very glad he did not need to breathe as he would have taken in a sharp breath. Until now he had never heard the specific thoughts of the others but it was as if she was broadcasting it across the room. Resolving to analyze this new development later he focused on her as he felt her hand press a bit more firmly against his chest. Realizing what she was searching for he focused inward, shifting his insides slightly and making his core pulse regularly against his exterior like a heartbeat. He heard her gasp softly a moment later as she felt the pulse beneath her palm.  
He slowly opened his visual receptors, ensuring there were only two of them, and gazed up at her. Her eyes were focused on his chest but she saw the white of his ‘eyes’ out of the corner of her own and turned to look at him, her eyes wide in dismay. Alone with her in this moment he could feel the churn of emotions in her mind, her halo blazing around her head chaotically. He felt curiosity and a desire to safely touch something so alien warring with shock and fear of being discovered by him as well as a hint of shame at touching him so intimately. He could tell there were motives buried deeper in her mind but he put that aside for the moment. He realized he needed to do something to calm her but drawing close to her with his claws would frighten her more than anything. Instead he chose a less threatening gesture...

He winked.

She blinked in confusion at this, frowning a moment later and cocking her head questioningly.

“I have a heart Mikhaila.” He confirmed softly, his voice a mix of Morgan’s and static-y gravel.

“Please...don’t be scared of me.”

Mikhaila smiled slightly a moment later, her face softening as she gazed at him speculatively.  
The ice broken he slowly raised a hand to rest it on top of hers.

“Is it really a heart in there?” She asked softly.

“Close enough.” He replied quietly as he altered his insides, making them more human though his outward appearance remained unchanged. Mikhaila could feel his chest expand and contract slowly as he took in slow, deep breaths before letting it out.

“I’m sorry.”

She looked at him in confusion for a moment before understanding appeared in her eyes. “It was my fault. I wasn’t...I wasn’t ready but I made myself come anyway...I was foolish.”

“And now you are?” He asked softly. “Ready, I mean.”

She nodded. “Sort of. I...needed to see you on my own terms I suppose. I needed…”

He cocked his head at her, a half-understood instinct making him giving her hand a gentle supportive squeeze.

Her eyes flicked across his torso before refocusing on his face. “I needed to see for myself...It’s one thing to watch the monitors and listen to the others talk about it but…”

“You needed to see for yourself that I was...safe. That you were safe with me.” He offered.

After a moment’s pause he asked softly. “Do you feel safe with me now?”

She considered his question for a moment before she nodded. “Yes.” She said softly. “I think...I think I can give it a try tomorrow.”

“Thank you.” Ko replied in quiet relief before he spoke again hesitantly. “Can...can I…”

She looked at him curiously. “What?”

Giving in to instincts he barely understood he slowly raised his other hand, reaching upward to gently cup the side of her face.

Mikhaila’s eyes widened in surprise as she took in a sharp breath, the Typhon staring at her unblinkingly. “Why?” She asked softly.

“It just...felt right.” He admitted a moment later, a hint of confusion in his voice even as he enjoyed the sensation of her hair and warm skin against his own cool hand before slowly lowering it to his side once more. “Thank you.”

Unable to form a coherent reply Mikhaila simply nodded. Gently slipping her hand from beneath his own she slowly stood, leaving the room a moment later and returning to the control room on auto pilot. As she locked the door behind her she sat down in the chair absently resetting the monitor feeds, her mind whirling in confusion and surprise before she raised her hand to touch her face as Kobalt had done moments ago.

The same gesture Morgan had used when he first showed interest in her aboard Talos 1.  
Even after her shift was over sleep was a long time coming.

* * *

He had no mouth to smile with this time but he could feel his insides churning pleasantly as Mikhaila arrived the next morning with a new Operator and trolley. The same instincts that had guided him last night told him that Mikhaila would be more open to his normal form than pretending to be Morgan and so he had remained smokey dark matter and constantly shifting edges, his visual receptors switching between four and two as he sat politely at the table. He could tell she was more relaxed as well, watching her move with an easy grace instead of the sharp tenseness from yesterday. He felt something inside him trying to reach out to her, the same instinct that had wanted to touch her face hours ago. He had given in to it then and it seemed right but at the same time the move had obviously shocked her so he decided to rein the impulse in for the moment. Even with her broadcasting her thoughts at the time he had not been able to determine just what was shocking about it. He supposed it must be the simple fact that no Typhon had ever touched a human in that way.

The Typhon were many things but he was sure gentle was not one of them.

“Good morning Mikhaila.” He said with quiet respect, using his own voice instead of purely Morgan’s. “I hope you slept well.”

Mikhaila inclined her head slightly in appreciation as she smiled. “I slept well enough thank you. And you?”

Kobalt nodded.

She seemed to want to get down to business right away as she sat down and began to examine the various books on the table so Ko remained silent about what had happened the previous evening.

“So...I know things got off to a...rocky start yesterday.” She glanced over at him as she scanned one of the books. “I heard about everything that happened. I hope today will be much more calm. Have you eaten?”

Kobalt let out a chuckle. “Yes, I took care to eat what Alex left yesterday. My insides don’t feel like they’re trying to implode or shred me.”

Mikhaila nodded. “Hunger that bad would make anyone lash out. And with Igwe on top of it…”

“As long as Igwe doesn’t show his face I’ll be fine.” Ko replied with a hint of resentment.

“Believe me, I’ve wanted to punch him in the face several times over the years myself.” She commiserated, flipping a page. “Morgan too for that matter. Heck, pretty much all of the Yu’s deserve at least one good one. I know Danielle would love to join me in that little exercise.”

She smirked.

“Does...that include me?” Ko asked quietly after a moment of silence.

Mikhaila sat back, looking at him with a slightly bewildered expression. “Why would it include you?”

Ko lowered his head a bit, taking on a pensive look as he tapped his claws together on the desk. “He’s part of me isn’t he? I don’t know how much but…”

Mikhaila’s hand moved to rest gently on top of his. “What you did in the simulation was quite different from what Morgan did. Trust me, given what happened yesterday, I don’t think of you as some kind of duplicate of him.”

Ko winced at the reminder. “Will you...will you tell me what I did wrong?” He asked in a quiet voice.

Mikhaila blinked in quiet astonishment at his humility. He really is like a child...a teenager trying to be a man but still unsure of himself…

Her heart clenched, her reaction yesterday now seeming even more harsh in her memory. Even so, she realized she could still salvage it given their interactions the night before. Squeezing his hand gently she gave him a quiet smile before taking her hand back.

“Like I said, I was foolish.” She replied softly so as not to be overheard before raising her tone to a more normal level. “I think I expected something I shouldn’t have and wasn’t prepared but today I am. I was going to go over these books with you but I think this is more important.”

Focusing on her words instead of the feel of her touch and the feelings it generated like mist swirling inside him he nodded. “I thought I was doing well.” He offered sincerely.

Mikhaila nodded. “I’m sure you did your best to be welcoming but I think you were a little overeager about it. I know you’ve been able to talk with Alex and use Morgan’s face and body when you need to but we need to make sure you can use the right mannerisms and facial expressions too, especially around the crew. There can be a fine line between the right look and what we call the ‘uncanny valley’.”

“What does that mean?” He asked in confusion.

“Simply put it’s an inhuman expression, gesture, or action.” She explained. “Something that makes us uncomfortable because it’s close to but not quite how a normal human reacts.”

“And that’s what I did?” He asked.

Mikhaila nodded. “I’m going to tell you how it looked to me and how I felt, not to criticize or embarrass you but to help you understand why I reacted like I did so you can improve.”  
Ko nodded in understanding as Mikhaila’s eyes became more distant as she recalled the previous morning.

“Your posture was alright but you had an intensity about you that seemed...hungry...your eyes were wide and bright, your mouth a little too wide when you grinned. Your voice was a bit too intense as well...like you had been waiting your whole life for this moment. It was like…”

“Like a predator spotting its prey.” Ko suggested ruefully.

Blinking at the comparison she nodded. “Yes.”

“And then I said those words…’in the flesh’.”

“And it reinforced what I felt.” Mikhaila concluded.

Despite her reassurances moments ago he winced again. “I acted like a starving Typhon instead of a rational human.”

“You were nearly starving anyway and...well...Alex says you aren’t a Typhon in the literal sense anymore so I wouldn’t be too hard on yourself.”

“You can see what I look like right?” Ko asked wryly.

Mikhaila smiled at that, resting a hand on his again. “I just want you to understand.” She insisted gently.

“Believe me, I do.” He replied with a sigh.

“Good. We can practice that if you want or we can move on to the books.” She offered.  
“Something tells me I should practice being human.” He suggested morosely.

Mikhaila nodded, sliding the book away. “Go ahead then.”

Kobalt’s body twisted and shifted before her, shrinking into itself as dark tendrils and jerky edges were replaced with smooth cloth and skin. A second later Morgan sat before her in his school uniform, a concerned look on his face.

She huffed a small laugh. “Well I have to say that’s not a look I saw on his face very often.”  
He gave her a questioning look.

“You obviously have some expressions down since you’re not giving me weird vibes right now. Why don’t we start with how you looked yesterday and go from there.” She suggested.  
“See if you can remember the same expressions you did yesterday and I’ll help correct them so you can tell the difference between them.”

He nodded, thinking for a moment to bring up the memory and how he felt before smiling widely at her, his gaze becoming much more intense.

Mikhaila nodded, internally shivering at it even though she knew he was hardly going to attack her. “Right. First the eyes. Being eager to look at someone is fine but your eyes are a little too wide and you’re staring quite hard, like you’re trying to stare through me or into my soul.” She explained. “Relax your eyes a bit...good...now just look at me as if you’re watching me idly...right.” She nodded as his gaze became quieter and more calm. “Perfect. Next your mouth, smile’s a bit wide. Too manic. Make it a bit smaller…” She suggested, pressing her fingertips against the sides of his lips and pushing inwards a bit, making him snicker.

“Head back a bit, too forward makes you look predatory…” She continued, her fingertips pressed lightly against his face as she pushed his head back to straighten his neck.

“That feels nice.” He admitted.

“Hmm?” She asked.

“Your fingers.” He explained. “When I’m...myself...I can feel things but not as strongly. Skin is much more...sensitive.” He smiled quietly at her.

She blinked in surprise before ducking her head a bit and smiling as she removed her hands.

“Yes, human skin can be quite sensitive. That reminds me, is it easier for you to...look like Morgan or yourself?”

Ko appeared to ponder that question for a moment. “It’s not a matter of ‘hard’ or easy.” He admitted. “It’s more like ‘can I or can’t I look like that thing’. I have a hard limit of what I can do but otherwise it’s just getting the details right and that happens automatically anyway.”

“How do you know that?” She asked curiously.

“It’s like an instinct really.” He admitted with a shrug. “It’s like knowing when you’ve gone as far as you can and you can’t go any further. I’ve changed into a pillow and a cup and both times my body just shifted without me telling it what to do or how I should look. It’s like it knows the makeup of it already and just adjusts. With Morgan it’s a little harder because humans are more complicated...internal organs, bone structure and the like...but I don’t have to know how long his arms are or the distance between his eyes. I just...know and my body changes automatically when I want it.”

Even though she was quite sure everything was being recorded Mikhaila still made several notes on a pad she’d brought with her.

“So when you transformed in front of Igwe yesterday...?” She questioned.

“I lost control.” He admitted. “I could have stayed in that form if I really tried but after what he said I needed to be more than a weak-looking Morgan. I needed to be bigger, more powerful...I needed him to…” He trailed off with a sigh.

“You needed him to fear you.” She suggested quietly.

“He made it sound so easy!” Ko exclaimed angrily. “Like it didn’t even matter to him! I don’t know how I kept from turning him into a smear on the floor...” He sighed.

“Trust me, we’ve all wanted to at some point but unfortunately we need his brilliance.” Mikhaila commiserated, resting her hand on his again. “Just try to put up with him okay?” She asked quietly.

He nodded glumly with a sigh. “If I have to.”

After a moment or two of silence she took back her hand. “Listen...I know you don’t like being compared to Morgan and you have your own name…”

“You can call me Ko you know.” He offered with a winsome smile. “Alex does.”

“Right...Ko.” Mikhaila said, making the hybrid’s smile widen. “Do you...do you like looking like Morgan?”

He frowned at that. “No. In fact, I’d rather not look like him at all but I feel like I need to sometimes. I need his face, his gestures, his voice to speak for me, to say what I feel when I don’t have the words. The neurons and his instincts help with that since I...Typhon...don’t have expressions or gestures...They have body language I guess but we don’t really speak either…”

He let out a frustrated breath. “Bad enough I can’t remember what happened to me before the sim, I don’t remember Morgan’s past completely either. I told Alex all I have are bits and pieces and not a lot of those. They just...pop up when they’re needed. Bad enough Alex...” He paused with a grimace.

“What about Alex?” Mikhaila prompted carefully.

He looked about for the hidden microphones before giving her a tired glance. “I get the distinct feeling that Alex wants me to keep looking like Morgan and I’m pretty sure a lot of these books were Morgan’s at one point.”

“What makes you say that?” She asked curiously.

“Because I feel like I’ve read them before even though that’s not possible.” He replied in frustration. “I’ll read a passage and expect to know what comes next, even though I’ve never read the book before. Or I feel like I should know the topic I’m reading about but can’t quite recall it. It’s all phantom memories…I don’t know how much of Morgan’s brain is inside me and I don’t think I want to know.” He remarked uncomfortably. “It can’t be that much but still…”

He sighed, rubbing his face with a hand. The gesture struck Mikhaila as very Morgan-like as he did the same when he was stuck on a problem he couldn’t solve. “I get instincts, flashes of ideas that I know aren’t mine but they help me to understand what’s going on, or they feel like what Morgan would do at that moment. I feel like Alex wants me to be like Morgan...to look like him, talk like him, maybe be him...but I learned enough about him in the sim to know that I don’t want to be Morgan Yu.” He stated firmly.

Mikhaila nodded. “You’ve already proven you aren’t by the choices you’ve made, both in the simulation and out of it. I’m pretty sure Alex has realized at this point that you aren’t going to be a mimic Morgan. You want to be your own person and I agree with that. So I suppose the question is...who do you want to be?” She offered curiously.

Kobalt sighed, resting his elbow against the desk and resting his chin in his palm. “I don’t know.” He admitted quietly. “I don’t want to look like Morgan but…’mimicking’,” he grimaced at the use of the word, “what someone or something else looks like is a lot easier than coming up with something from scratch.”

Mikhaila nodded thoughtfully at this. “Maybe we can find some pictures or videos of people you could copy and then make a few adjustments. Or maybe you could change Morgan’s face around a little so you aren’t his twin.”

Kobalt nodded. “Either would be fine. Would...would you help me with that?” He asked hopefully.

Mikhaila gave him a warm smile. “I’d be delighted.”

The grateful look on his face warmed Mikhaila’s heart. “And you said you needed practice looking human.” She teased.

They both couldn’t help but laugh at that.

The rest of the morning passed quickly for the two of them after Mikhaila promised to help him create a new human form for himself. They covered material in the books that Mikhaila had brought, her focus being mathematics and engineering both mechanical and electronic.

“Were you really the Chief Systems Engineer on Talos 1?” He asked at one point.

Mikhaila nodded. “All of the positions we had in the sim were positions we held in the real world. A lot of the background information stayed the same as well as the people, we just added in various scenarios to see how you would react to them.”

“So your...Paraplexis…?” He asked hesitantly.

She gave him a frank nod. “Sadly real too. I never had a bad attack like the one in the sim but I’ve had a few close calls over the years so I knew how to...well...fake one for your benefit.”  
She admitted with a hint of apology.

He gave her a quiet smile in return. “I was glad to do it. Help you I mean. I remember...I could feel an urgency inside me to get you the medicine. Even now I can feel faint echoes of that...that worry. I’m pretty sure I’d feel the same way if it happened for real.”

“That’s sweet. If I ever need someone to fetch my medication I’ll call you first.” She offered with a smile.

Ko smiled softly back, his insides warm and strangely content.

Finally Mikhaila stood and stretched. “Well it’s almost lunchtime. We’ve covered quite a bit of the basics so far. I’ll start looking around for videos and such while you get more learning done from one of the others. I’ll make sure they bring some food down for you.”

Ko nodded. “Thanks.” He said genuinely.

“No problem...Ko.” She replied with a smile as she left.


	6. Chapter 5

Elazar walked in to Kobalt’s room after lunchtime, carrying a tray of more psychically enhanced substances, to find a black and white soccer ball randomly rolling about the room seemingly under its own power. Raising an eyebrow at the curious and rather quirky behavior she set the tray down on the kitchen counter and walked closer to it, crossing her arms as it began to circle her.

“Having a bit of exercise or is this a Typhon’s idea of fun?” She asked flatly as she gazed down at the rolling ball.

The ball rolled behind her again but failed to complete the expected circuit. Blinking after a moment she turned and nearly jumped out of her skin with a cry as Kobalt stood looming over her in his normal form.

“Walla! You scared the shite out of me!” She exclaimed, her fists half raised to defend herself instinctively.

“That’s what Typhon do for fun, right before they eat your brain.” Kobalt stated grimly in a static-filled voice before he relaxed, his tone lightening. “Fortunately I’m not purely Typhon according to Alex so I can make my own fun.”

Elazar lowered her hands slowly, frowning in annoyance at him. “I’m well aware of how Typhon act thank you. A couple pieces of advice if you want to avoid getting shot by the crew or by me. First don’t ever do that again. Second, everyone here has been through the outbreak on Talos 1 so keep in mind they’re pretty wary about anything Typhon. Third, take everything Alex says with a massive grain of salt.”

Ko cocked his head in confusion at that. “Why would I eat salt when...is that an expression?”

“Yes it is. It means don’t believe everything Alex says.” She replied frankly.

Ko glanced about significantly at the walls making the Israeli woman snort. “I don’t care if he hears me or not.” She turned to face one of the walls. “Hear that Alex?” She called out. “I’m telling your pet Typhon not to trust you completely!”

“Don’t call me that.” Kobalt insisted.

Elazar glanced over at him. “What?”

“Don’t call me ‘Alex’s pet Typhon’.” He said irritably

She shrugged. “Fine. What do you want me to call you? His greatest creation?”

“Ko or Kobalt would be nice.” He sniped in annoyance.

She gave him an appraising look. “And what if I choose not to?” She asked coolly, her voice and posture radiating challenge. “What are you going to do about it?”

She watched his eyes split rapidly from six to four and back to six again. “What? Why would you…?” He asked in confusion.

“I asked you a question Typhon!” She barked, not backing down.

Kobalt stilled at that.

“Call...me...by...my...name...please.” He insisted pointedly, the static and frustration in his voice becoming more pronounced.  
  
She gazed up at him in fearless defiance, her arms still crossed. “No.” She replied simply before poking him firmly in the chest. “What now, hmm? What’s the big, bad Typhon going to do now that someone’s not catering to him?”

“I’m not a Typhon!” He exclaimed, his body quivering.

“Funny thing, you look like one. You almost admitted you were to Mikhaila earlier.” She reposted. “Oh and let’s not forget about yesterday when you ate that Operator for lunch!”

“I was hungry!” Kobalt exclaimed in outrage.

“Well I’m glad you had breakfast this morning, otherwise I might fear for my safety just a little bit!” She retorted.

Kobalt turned away from her with a snarl, pacing the length of the room before turning back to her. “If all you want to do is stand there and annoy me you can go!” He insisted, pointing at the door with a claw.

She snorted at that. “Why should I? I’m Security Chief here, I can go wherever I damn well please! And if that means I want to stand her in this room and say things you don’t want to hear, that’s just tough shite Typhon!”

He flashed back to her in an instant, his claws raised to strike at her. “WHAT DO YOU WANT?!” He shouted, his voice thick with static.

She stared back at him grimly, not having moved an inch. “What do I want?” She asked challengingly. “I want to get off this fucking station and kick some Typhon arse! I want to take a shuttle down to Earth and take my planet back with my bare hands if need be! I want to see every scrap of Coral and every fucking Typhon gone from Earth and I want them to be so fucking terrified of us that they never think about coming back again!” She shouted.

Kobalt lowered his arms and stood there silently for a long moment. “Then why are you standing there, yelling at me, when you could be helping me do just that?” He asked with a challenge of his own.

A considering look entered her eyes before her face hardened again. “Because for all I know you’re playing your own game, biding your time and waiting for just the right moment when our backs are turned so that you can plunge a claw into our backs and run back to your Typhon friends with your belly full of our psyches. That’s what a Typhon would do.”

“I’ll tell you what I won’t do.” He said with a growl of frustration. “I won’t act like a Typhon does and attack you before eating your psyche for dinner! If you feel this way, why did you choose to let me live after the simulation? You could have demanded my death and since you don’t trust Alex you wouldn’t just bow down to whatever he said, even if the others backed him up!”

Elazar watched him for a moment before she smiled in approval, her stance relaxing. “Very good. You’re finally starting to think instead of just reacting. That’s my first lesson to you. Don’t blindly follow what others say, even if it’s me, or Alex, or anyone else here. Think and make up your own damn mind.”

Kobalt blinked in surprise at this. “You...what?”

“And the briefly bright bulb dims again.” She sighed in annoyance.

“This was all a test?” He asked in disbelief.

She rolled her eyes at this. “That was me getting a chance to vent and teach you something at the same time.” Elazar replied.

He let out a loud sigh of relief. “Great. I hope your next lesson isn’t as rough.” He grumbled.

In response she punched him lightly in the chest, making him waver a bit.

“What are you--?” He demanded only to find himself being punched again, this time slightly harder.

“Why are you--?”

Punch.

“Stop!”

Punch.

“Stop it!” He demanded.

PUNCH!

“THAT HURTS!” He shouted.

“Then do something about it!” She demanded, rearing back and letting fly with her fist again.

Her fist struck his chest again but instead of creating ripples in his body from the impact like the times before, it instead sunk into his torso. She blinked before grimacing and trying to pull her hand free only to find it stuck inside him.

He glared at her silently for a moment. “Are you done?” He growled.

“Let me go.” She demanded.

“Why? So you can hit me again?” He snarled. “If this is another one of your tests I’m not getting the point.”

“That just means you aren’t thinking.” She retorted.

He growled quietly again before staying silent for a few moments. “You know how tough Typhon are, you fought them before. This wasn’t to see just how much physical punishment I or you could take. You weren’t venting either....you were trying to make me do something...What? Were you hoping I’d hit you back and confirm that I’m just as bad as the Typhon are? No...that doesn’t make sense either, you saw how I acted in the sim and how I’ve been acting, you know I’m not like that.”

She allowed a half smirk to cross her face. “I know that yes. The others know that...”

Kobalt blinked a few times in thought. “But the crew don’t.” He concluded. “And they don’t know anything about me. You’re worried about me and them getting into some scuffle or other aren’t you? That’s why you said those things, isn’t it? You’re acting like the crew would to make sure I wouldn’t do something to hurt someone accidentally.”

Elazar smirked at him. “If I had my hand back I would be clapping. You finally got it.”

Ko removed the material from around her hand, freeing it and allowing her to reclaim her appendage. After examining it carefully she gave him a long slow series of claps.

“So did I pass?” He asked gruffly. “Am I safe enough to be around the crew if they decide to act like assholes.”

“So long as you aren’t raveneous to the point of eating Operators, yes.” Elazar replied dryly.

Ko crossed his arms, looking up at the ceiling in exasperation. “If I had eyes to roll right now they would be.” He huffed.

“Don’t get sassy with me Typhon, we’ve got a lot to do to whip you into shape.” She replied, though her tone was more commanding than confrontational like before.

A half-remembered memory of various war movies Morgan had seen in his time flashed across his mind’s eye briefly at her words. “So you’re going to be...what? My combat instructor?” He grumbled.

“That and more.” Elazar replied. “All of us here are going to be teaching you several subjects. Naturally the focus will be on our strengths and what we excel at but that’s not all of it. It’s not going to be just book learning either. You already have a pretty good idea of how to act and think like a human but practice makes perfect. The crew will help with that too but we need to make sure you’re prepared for every eventuality, including people being violent towards you because trust me, when you get to Earth anything that remotely looks like a Typhon is going to get its head blown off by the survivors with extreme prejudice. Your mimicry has to be perfect even under serious stress.”

Ko nodded in rueful consideration at that. “Makes sense. So is the next test how I react to a roundhouse kick or something?” He joked slightly.

Elazar smirked before she reached behind her back. Suddenly her sidearm was in Ko’s face. He had a split second to see her finger squeezing the trigger before he ducked, the gun firing loudly with the retort echoing around the room. Instinctively he shifted into the soccer ball form he had held earlier and swiftly rolled away, serpentining across the floor. Elazar’s sidearm fired several more times as he swerved and weaved frantically, the ball zipping beneath the bed. Turning, Elazar fired a few more shots at the floor in front of it. Ko shifted back, his receptors swiftly scanning the room, his instincts screaming at him to dismember and destroy the threat. Suddenly he noticed something peculiar, something that should have been but was not. Realization came a second later and he smiled internally before flashing from under the bed to stand inches away from her. Staring at him dispassionately she pressed the muzzle of the weapon to his face.

“Funny thing.” He said coolly. “I couldn’t help but notice that there was no damage to the floor, no impact craters the bullets would make. And since you’re an excellent shot…”

She smirked before pulling the trigger once more, the muzzle flashing in his face and the loud crack making him tense as he closed his receptors but his head remained unharmed.

“Blanks.” She remarked, putting the weapon away. “Handy as a scare tactic or object lesson.”

“And now my head is full of vibrations.” He grumbled. “You’re lucky I don’t have a stomach or I’d probably be throwing up all over you right now, never mind the fact that everything in me is screaming to rip you to shreds. Let me guess...I’ve dealt with weapons in the sim before but you needed me to see and hear one in the real world. You needed to see how I would react to it.”

“You needed to see how you would react to it as well.” Elazar replied. “People may say they’ll act a certain way in an emergency but usually that’s pride talking. They don’t actually know how they’ll react to traumatic circumstances until they truly face one. Running away is a good plan for those who have no ability to defend themselves from someone threatening them with a firearm but you are far from helpless. You have options, a lot more than most in fact. Use them.”

Her hand whipped behind her back, pulling her sidearm from its holster again but this time Ko was more prepared, his hand slicing through the air to catch her hand and hold it in a firm grip, keeping the muzzle pointed away from him. Elazar fired several times to try and discomfort him but his grip remained firm, his arm unwavering. Her fist flashed upward towards his face but beyond a twitch of surprise his other hand moved at the speed of thought, holding hers firmly. A thought teased his mind and he pulled his arms further apart and back, forcing her arms wider and pulling her close.

“Well now...what a precarious position for you to be in.” Ko teased in a low menacing voice before he felt the impact of her knee between his legs, making him blink as his body shuddered slightly.

“Testing to see whether I would react like Morgan would to being hit there?” He asked with a hint of Morgan-esque arrogance. “Or were you hoping I actually had a pair of balls you could injure.”

Elazar gave him a vicious smile. “Distraction, actually.” She said as she hooked her foot around his leg and jerked, pulling him off balance as she shoved herself against him, the two of them tumbling to the floor, his grip loosening just enough for her to break free and scramble to her feet, pointing her gun at his face again.

“And just like that you’d be dead.” She concluded with finality. “I guess you were right, you aren’t a normal Typhon. They wouldn’t have fallen like that if I tried the same trick on them.”

“Point.” Ko sighed, his momentary sense of victory promptly deflated as he rose to his feet.  
  
Elazar shook her head with a smile as she holstered her weapon again. “Don’t feel too bad, I’m actually rather glad you fell for it. It means your instincts are a lot more like Mor-like a human rather than a Typhon.” She said, quickly correcting herself. “With a little training you’ll be able to pull off anything the Typhon can do and more.”

Ko felt like frowning at that moment as he considered what she said. “Funny thing is, a part of me wanted to reach out like I had a third arm to catch myself but I was too surprised to make it happen. By the time it occurred to me I was already on the floor.”

Elazar nodded. “Your body knows what it wanted to do but your mind didn’t act quick enough to make it a reality.”

A recollection tickled Ko’s mind but before he could follow the thought back Elazar continued speaking.

“Your combat training will be rather different from a normal soldier’s but I’m up to the task.”

“Combat training?” He asked curiously. “I thought you wanted to make sure I was harmless.”

She shook her head. “We wanted to make sure you’re ‘safe’. That doesn’t mean we don’t want to prepare you for what might happen. You’re the bridge between the Typhon and the Humans but that might mean fighting alongside the resistance until you get a chance to bring the two sides ‘to the table’ so to speak.”

“There’s a resistance movement?” Ko asked in vague surprise.

Elazar snorted. “You didn’t think the people on this station were all that was left did you? There’s pockets of humans all over the globe. We keep in touch with them to keep up with the situation on the ground but we haven’t had the opportunity to actively help them. You’re going to change that.”

“All by myself huh?” Ko asked doubtfully.

“The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world.” She smirked.

Ko knew there was a hidden meaning to that phrase given her emphasis but the nature of it escaped him. “I suppose so.” He sighed.

“Cheer up, you’ve got some time yet before we even think about sending you planetside.” Elazar replied. “Trust me, by the time you’re sent down you’ll be more than ready.”

Ko snorted quietly though he appreciated the pep talk as it made his insides squirm less.

“So...about the commendation you mentioned giving me after the sim…” He suggested teasingly.

Elazar chuckled quietly at this. “You aren’t one of my officers. Not yet anyway.” She suggested as she walked out of the room.

A few minutes later she joined Alex and the others in the control room.

“Well that was quite exciting.” Igwe suggested with a smile.

“How long have you been waiting to fire a gun in his face?” Danielle asked snarkily.

“Not to mention was that really necessary?” Mikhaila suggested sourly.

“Well he didn’t go blind and deaf from the flash or the sound so that tells us something about his reactions and his tolerance for such things.” Elazar replied easily as she sat down at the table. “I’m satisfied for the moment that he should be given free reign though Igwe might want to have another session with him to see how he reacts.”

“Is this a not so subtle attempt to get me killed?” He asked mildly with a slight glare.

“Perish the thought.” Mikhaila replied with faux sweetness.

“Besides, if he can deal with your ‘heartless scientist’ persona he can deal with everyone outside his room.” Danielle replied, her voice dripping sarcasm.

Igwe sighed. “And once again I am the butt of everyone’s jokes.” He said in exasperation before looking to Alex for rescue but the man simply sat there, gazing at him expectantly.

Igwe shook his head as he stood up. “You people will be the death of me.” He muttered sullenly.

“Try not to become a smear on his wall.” Elazar suggested with a smirk as he passed through the door, making the three women laugh quietly.

A few minutes later he entered Kobalt’s room. He watched as the creature turned to face him, its body stilling as its multiple eyes shifted into a single pair signalling the creature’s entire focus was upon him. Taking a deep breath he strode into the room and sat down at the table, taking one of the books and flipping through it.

“What are you doing here?” Ko demanded petulantly.

“I am one of your instructors am I not?” Igwe asked flatly as he scanned the pages. “Chief Elazar was finished with her initial examinations so I have come to continue the lesson that was interrupted when we were last together. Come and sit down.”

“Just like that?” Ko demanded quietly. “You’re going to act like nothing happened?”

“As far as I am concerned nothing of great import happened beyond your throwing a tantrum.” Igwe replied dismissively. “As you seem to have recovered from your...fit...I deemed it appropriate to continue.”

“I haven’t forgotten what you’ve done.” He hissed quietly.

“No doubt, but I have done quite a lot of things you would most likely find...distressing.” Igwe replied dispassionately. “You may consider the euthanization of the failed test subjects proof of my apparent lack of morality but that is your prerogative, I am under no compulsion to agree with you. The question is, can you work with me to learn what you need to learn in order to make those sacrifices worth something or will you refuse me and make them meaningless?”

He saw Ko shiver, seemingly in revulsion, out of the corner of his eye before he slowly approached, standing over him.

“I’ll work with you if I have to but you’re not getting off that easily.” He hissed in grim fury. “You don’t get to murder so casually and just get away with it!”

“Your sense of retribution is quite intact I see.” Igwe replied, unfazed by the threat by the looming Typhon. “Of course from my perspective they were enemies we had managed to capture and introduce Morgan’s neurons into before placing them into the simulation to help them learn empathy. When they confirmed the neurons had failed to activate by slaughtering everyone on the station including myself and the others they proved themselves unfit to be released. In my mind I was not committing murder but rather putting down, mercifully I might add, an enemy who wished for nothing but our destruction or at least saw us as nothing but their next meal. Would the Typhon have been so kind if our positions were reversed?” He asked with a challenging look.

“They don’t know any better!” Ko seethed quietly. “Don’t try to justify--”

“So you knew their mental state at that time then?” Igwe interrupted sharply. “How?”

“I…! Alex said they didn’t know better in the sim!” He exclaimed. “That was the point wasn’t it? They act that way because they can’t do otherwise?”

“So you agree that the Typhon, and by extension you, are animals then? With no higher consciousness? No ability to think independently? If that is so then my original statement about Morgan’s neurons were correct. They are doing the thinking for you and beneath those outraged words and human-esque mimicry is an animal waiting to feed on us.” Igwe replied firmly.

“Maybe, but at least the Typhon are pure in their motives!” Kobalt snarled. “They just want to survive like you do!”

Igwe gave him a cold gaze. “Then I fail to see why you are becoming upset if this is simply competition between two species to protect or sustain themselves. Is this the way all life works? Kill or be killed? The strong survive and the weak perish for no other reason that to sustain the powerful and ensure their dominance?”

“No! I…!” Ko cried before sighing and slumping slightly before him. “I don’t know.” He muttered quietly in frustration.

“Precisely.” Igwe replied, his eyes glinting like scalpels behind his glasses. “You don’t know and thus have no right to judge me or anyone else based on the very limited information you have. Now calm yourself and sit down.” He insisted pointedly.

Sighing heavily Ko reluctantly took his seat near Igwe. “It isn’t right.” He muttered sullenly.

Igwe sighed seemingly in annoyance. “If and when you learn the full truth of the work I and the others did here you may think differently.” He replied levelly. “Until then I simply ask that you withhold your judgement and whatever creative punishments you have devised in that mind of yours. I prefer not to end my days as a smear on your wall as it would make continued instruction quite difficult.”

Ko looked at him, his receptors blinking. “Did you just make a joke?”

“Consider it a joke if you wish.” He replied stiffly. “Now then, if we can begin…?”

Igwe continued to drill him on the concepts in the various texts he had been reading, ensuring Ko understood not only the concepts themselves but the underlying phenomena or foundational underpinnings that made them comprehensible and logically sound. While Ko intensely disliked the man personally he could hardly fault Igwe’s brilliance; the man’s mind was a constant stream of swift connections, his neural halo spiking constantly as he jumped from concept to concept with ease, from the basics of mathematics and their underlying logic to the history of music and its seemingly unlimited combinations of sound to create melodies that could invoke any conceivable emotion. It was clear that when he was in his element he could become quite passionate, expounding with intensity on even the simplest concepts and making them seem wondrous and magnificent in their realization and what could be achieved with them. Despite himself Ko found himself becoming engrossed with the man’s lectures, asking several pointed questions about the various topics that had the man nodding in agreement or explaining where Ko’s thinking was not quite in line.

After a few hours they finally took a break with Igwe standing and stretching. “I believe that is enough for today.” He remarked, his tone carrying a hint of satisfaction. “You appear to be grasping the concepts well enough. Assuming you continue to show such proficiency you will be able to learn much in a short time. I expect you to read the chapters I mentioned before our next meeting so that we can discuss them.” He instructed briskly.

Ko nodded.

Picking up the notepad Igwe left, leaving Ko alone.

As Igwe walked back to his rooms he activated his Transcribe, dialing Alex’s extension. After a few moments the man picked up.

“Yes?” Alex asked.

“The lesson is complete. He did quite well.” Igwe said in satisfaction.

“You sound pleased and the fact that you’re not the aforementioned smear on his wall is a nice bonus.” Alex replied dryly. “Does he appear to be warming up to you?”

“I do not believe ‘warming up’ is the proper term.” Igwe replied. “He is willing to tolerate me in order to learn and I believe he became rather caught up in my lectures. At the very least he seemed impressed with them.”

“Good. So long as you can keep weaving tales about the beauty of fractions and the sublime creations of Leitner you should be fine.”

“I have no doubt I shall be able to captivate his attention regardless of the subject.” Igwe replied. “When I lectured at various Universities for several years the students rather enjoyed my presentations.”

“Very good. I’ll pay him another visit before we let him out. I trust you have no objections to either?”

“What you choose to do is of course your own affair.” Igwe replied. “As far as releasing him I have no serious concerns regarding his behavior. I am more concerned about the crew shunning him and forcing him into a kind of self imposed exile.”

“I’ve been briefing them on what to expect so they shouldn’t be immediately vicious towards him, at least most of them shouldn’t.” Alex suggested. “As always we’ll play it by ear and see how things go. If there are problems we’ll deal with them. Anything else?”

“Not at the moment.” Igwe said.

“Until tomorrow then.” Alex said.

“Of course.” Igwe agreed and Alex terminated the call a moment later.

Some time later Alex arrived at Ko’s door, letting himself in as the hybrid was finishing his meal, absorbing the fluids and simple foods infused with psychostimulants.

“I hope the food is to your liking.” Alex remarked as he ambled inside. “It’s not five star cuisine but we make do with what we have. At least it’s better than eating an Operator.” He suggested with a smile.

“You aren’t going to let me live that down are you?” He asked with a cringe.

“Water under the bridge Ko.” Alex assured him.

“Another expression?” He asked.

Alex nodded. “It means it’s in the past and not to dwell on it.”

“I see.” Ko replied quietly.

“I’ve been meaning to ask, what was it like...consuming the Operator? What did you get from it?” Alex asked. Ko looked at him in concern but Alex’s voice only contained simple curiosity, his mental halo untroubled and smooth.

“It was...I could feel the energy surging through me but it wasn’t painful really.” He began hesitantly before his voice grew in confidence. “It was like I was being energized, every part of me regaining strength. But it wasn’t nourishment...not the electricity anyway. When I consumed what was in its chips I could see the code that made up its processors. I saw reams of data flowing in my mind. Technical details, repair instructions, everything it knew I knew. More than that, I felt...full. Satisfied. Victorious over my prey.”

Alex saw him cringe again at his final words before he rested a hand against Ko. “Don’t worry about it.” He reminded the hybrid gently. “So you know everything that was in the Operator’s memory chips?”

Ko nodded. “Give me a computer and I could copy down the entire coding structure from scratch and all the files it had.” He replied. “Though I wouldn’t have any idea of how to imprint them into new chips.”

“Interesting.” Alex remarked contemplatively. “We’ll have to test that soon to see if you retain perfect recall of anything you absorb. Did it...taste like anything?” He asked.

“Not really.” Ko replied. “Typhon don’t really have taste buds as far as I can tell.”

“You’d need a tongue for that.” Alex agreed.

“Technically I have one, I just don’t use it to taste things.” Ko remarked.

“Typhon have tongues?” Alex asked curiously. “The ones we studied didn’t.”

His visual receptors rapidly flashed back and forth. “I hereby name this the Typhon equivalent of a human rolling their eyes.” Ko informed him with slight exasperation, pointing to the swiftly moving white spots on his head. “No Typhon don’t have tongues but how do you think I manage to talk to you? I had to use Morgan’s throat and mouth to visualize how to talk. From there I just adjusted things here and there.”

“Huh. Makes sense I suppose.” Alex shrugged. “I suppose that’s the best you can do as far as expressive eyes is concerned without putting on...his face.”

“Mikhaila is helping me with that actually.” Ko replied. “Finding a face and body of my own I mean.”

Alex nodded. “Good. Maybe if she can find the right look and help you practice with it you can use that when you mingle with the crew at first, put them at ease and get them used to you before shifting into your normal appearance.”

“I thought you wanted me to go as I am.” Ko said, puzzled.

Alex shifted a bit. “It might be best if we ease everyone into it.” He cautioned. “Introducing yourself with a human face and body might help break the tension. Once everyone is used to you being around you could probably move about in whatever form you want. We’re not doing a big presentation and reveal on stage after all but if a Typhon suddenly appeared around the corner they might react violently on instinct.”

Ko nodded. “So I can just...walk around the station whenever I want?”

Alex nodded. “More or less. Obviously it’s best if you keep to the station’s set day/night cycle unless you prefer to walk about at odd hours.”

“So the sooner I get my new body perfected the sooner I can get out of here.”

“If you’re seriously feeling restless you can wander about now if you want.” Alex admitted. “Technically we’ve cleared you already, I simply thought it would be a good idea to let everyone warm up to you first.”

Ko nodded. “I just want to get out of the room really. I’m not going to wander through all of the station in one night.”

Alex nodded. “Good. I’ll have one of the Operators install a button on this side of the room so you can leave when you want. Shouldn’t take long. I’ve also got a Transcribe for you so you can call any of us as well as use the internal map to make sure you don’t get lost.”

“Is it like the ones in the sim?” Ko asked.

Alex nodded as he handed over the slim device. “Same look, same functionality.”

Ko nodded as he took it, examining it briefly. “Great. Can’t wait to get a look at this place. By the way, what is it called?”

Alex gave him a sly smile. “What else could it be? Talos 1.”

Ko straightened at that. “You mean…?”

“We never left.” Alex explained. “The damage to the station from the Apex and the other Typhon was serious but not so far reaching that we couldn’t salvage things. Of course the station has started to become a little threadbare and it isn’t nearly as opulent as the sim.” He chuckled. “I wish I had an office as nice as that.”

Ko shook his head. “Unbelievable.”

“It’s not like we had another station as a backup. Do you have any idea how much it costs to haul that much equipment from Earth to the LaGrange Point?” He asked. “Even though we bought the station for pennies on the dollar the initial refurbishing and repairs alone cost a fortune. Putting in all those plush carpets and armchairs would at least double the cost. As rich as Transtar is we didn’t get that way by being wasteful. Not to mention the fact that the Board and dear old Dad would throw an absolute fit if we tried to turn it into a five star hotel.” He chuckled.

The mention of the Director suddenly sent a chill down Ko’s proverbial spine. “Did he...umm...did he actually…” Ko ventured hesitantly.

Alex raised an eyebrow at this, his face sobering. “Did he actually initiate the failsafe protocols and try to exterminate everyone on the station?” He asked.

Ko nodded silently.

Alex grimaced. “He didn’t go quite that far thankfully. Our...my parents might be ruthless and cold-hearted business people but they aren’t amoral to the point that they’d gleefully order the murder of their own children. They did send Dahl to lock down the station and take control of it as well as secure the Cobalt research but the Operators, while mil-spec, weren’t kill-bots blasting everything in sight. Fortunately once Dahl understood the situation he was willing to help contain the outbreak with his machines, giving Morgan and I the time we needed to build and activate the nullwave device.”

“And then?” Ko asked quietly.

“He reported back to the Board about the situation of course.” Alex replied with a sigh. “Dad was absolutely livid about the whole thing but before he could take any real action the Typhon started multiplying on Earth. The situation groundside rapidly deteriorated from there. We salvaged what we could to plug the holes on the station and have been recycling everything we can to stay afloat. Fortunately Hydroponics wasn’t damaged significantly so food production hasn’t been an issue, same with water recycling, but it hasn’t been a posh life by any means.”

“Anyway,” Alex said with a lighter tone, “the door isn’t locked at this point so you’re free to roam. Any idea where you want to start?”

Ko thought for a moment before nodding. “Yours and the others’ quarters to start with. If I need something it would be nice to know where to find you or them.”

Alex nodded. “I’ll add some markers to your map so it can guide you. Here.” Taking the Transcribe from Ko he quickly opened the map application before scrolling around on it and entering some adjustments before handing it back. Ko reviewed the map, flicking through the various sections before finding their quarters marked out. “Thanks.”

Alex smiled. “Enjoy your freedom Ko, you’ve earned it.” He said warmly.


	7. Chapter 6

Ko stood at the threshold of his room gazing out into the corridor beyond, Alex having left him a few minutes prior. Next to him an Operator was busy at work installing a control panel for the door that would allow him to open and close as well as lock it if he chose. Not that the lock would be a serious deterrent if they wanted access to his room but it was a nice gesture, allowing him to control access to his living quarters to a degree. At least he could indicate if he desired privacy for whatever reason, though the cameras and microphones placed about his room would make that pointless as well. Perhaps he should ask Alex about removing them…?

As he examined the demarcation line in the floor before him he considered the various sensations he felt inside of him. There was an undercurrent of anticipation zipping beneath his exterior and he could feel his instincts writhing inside him, wanting to race about and explore every nook and cranny of his now expanded world. Even so, he had the notion that he should feel more excited than he did, now that he finally had the freedom he had been craving or that the air should somehow be sweeter. As it was he was feeling slightly underwhelmed and the air was just as sterile and cool as it was in his room. 

_Most likely some half-remembered notion from Morgan’s past._ He concluded idly after a moment. 

Even if the events in the simulation had been somewhat exaggerated to test him he was well aware that Morgan’s parents were ruthless and controlling people. Perhaps their children chafed under such authoritarianism and were relieved when they were finally able to become independent of them, or at least as independent as they could be. It was clear Director Yu enjoyed keeping his family on as short a leash as possible even when they were at the very edges of human space.

Deciding there was no point in putting it off any longer he took a step forward, then another, until he was standing in the corridor he had first seen when being transferred from the simulation room to his quarters for the first time. The hallway was quite spartan in nature, the walls greyish white with the floor made up of darker grey tile. There were a few other rooms along the opposite wall but after peeking in each of them he concluded they were rooms like the one he inhabited except his contained more personal items, the other rooms bare of them. Reaching the end of the corridor the door swished open, revealing another similar corridor with a few side passages. Ko considered this for a moment before consulting the Transcribe he held in his hand. The map application loaded quickly, homing in on his location and showing his position. Scrolling about he noticed this section of the station was fairly isolated and could only be accessed through specific sets of security doors. 

He felt a flicker of disappointment but shrugged it off as he moved a few feet down the hallway and turned left, moving along the side corridor before coming to another door. Pressing the stud on the wall he stepped into the room before pausing. 

The sim room.

His receptors were immediately drawn to the black padded medical chair in the center of the room with its wrist and foot restraints, the neural headset with its Looking Glass visual display attached to it. He could feel his insides writhing anxiously as he slowly approached it, an instinctive fear rising in his mind of somehow becoming trapped in the simulation again, as if the chair would somehow leap at him and capture him in its clutches. He shook his head in annoyance as he pushed down the absurd notion, stepping up to the chair and slowly placing a hand on it, gripping the frame and padding slightly as he heard the words of the others echo in his mind. 

_It probably thinks it was dreaming, that nothing it did mattered._

_You’re assuming it thinks like us._

_It’s life depends on it. Our too. It all comes down to the choices it made._

Ko slowly looked about the room, taking in the various pieces of equipment, the bank of monitors behind the chair mercifully blank. He had no desire to see pictures of Earth covered in Coral again. He wandered about the room for a moment, taking it in and allowing the memories to whisper to him before he turned and left, going back down the passageway. The other side corridors were fairly short and mostly contained a few locked rooms. Making his way to the end of the main branch he found himself facing a solid steel door with a glowing green stud on the wall next to it. Poking the stud the security door hissed open and he made his way through, leading to more locked rooms on either side of the hallway. Passing through another bulky security door he found an open door to the right. Peeking in, he noticed a wide table with comfortable chairs in the center of the room. Most of the walls were covered with terminals of various kinds and he noticed Mikhaila sitting at a specific row of monitors while typing something on another screen. 

“Come on in.” Mikhaila offered absently without looking up. 

Blinking in surprise Ko stepped into the room.

“Welcome to the Control Station for this section of Talos 1.” She offered. “We’ve been spending quite a lot of time in here the last several days.”

Glancing at the monitors he couldn’t help but notice that several of them displayed a very familiar room.

“So this is where you were watching me.” He surmised.

Mikhaila nodded. “And discussing you.” She remarked.

“How I was doing and how I was acting you mean?”

“Amongst other things yes.” She replied absently as she continued typing. “How does it feel to finally be out of that room?”

“I thought it would be more exciting since it was a big moment for me. But it wasn’t. Not really.” He admitted with a hint of regret.

Mikhaila smiled quietly. “You’re going to find, Ko, that a lot of things in life aren’t as exciting as we expect them to be when we finally get what we want. That isn’t to say it’s never as exciting as we expect but humans tend to build up expectations of what it will be like. We fantasize about that coming day, or that event, or meeting that person, or whatever it might be but usually it’s just...nice.”

Ko pondered that for a moment. “You said there are exceptions to it?”

Mikhaila nodded. “There are always exceptions but much of the time it comes from unexpected things. Things you didn’t know were going to happen but they happened anyway and they were a wonderful surprise. That makes it all the more exciting.”

“So unexpected things are more exciting than the things you expect and plan for?” He asked with a hint of confusion.

She nodded. “Yes. Of course that doesn’t mean those unexpected things are always good. A lot of the time they’re not but that’s how life works.”

“A series of unfortunate events?” Ko suggested, the phrase bobbing up from the recesses of Morgan’s memories.

Mikhaila glanced back at him curiously for a moment. “Not always, no. Life is a series of events, some good, some bad, some neutral. It really just depends on how we react to them and deal with them. There are things in life that initially look like a bad thing but in hindsight you realize it gave you something positive. And the reverse is true as well.”

“So how do you know what it will turn out to be?” He asked in a puzzled tone.

She laughed lightly for a moment. “You don’t. That’s how life works. Nobody can see the future Ko. We take life day by day and we figure it out as we go. That’s one reason why humanity’s history has always been such a glorious mess. We’re just doing the best we can to muddle through and try to make things better for ourselves and everyone else. At least most people do.”

Ko nodded thoughtfully as he considered this for a few moments before he refocused on her. “What are you writing?” He asked.

“Just the usual reports.” Mikhaila replied. “Everything needs to be documented.”

“Why?” Ko asked innocuously. 

Mikhaila shrugged. “We might need to remember what we did weeks or months later.”

“Why?” Ko asked innocently.

She blinked, giving him a slightly curious look. “Because human memory can get rather hazy over time, especially with little details.”

“Why?” Ko asked.

She turned to face him fully, her face a mix of amusement and annoyance. “Are you asking me because you really want to know or are you just trying to rile me up?”

“Yes?” Ko replied with a hint of amusement in his voice.

Mikhaila let out a gusty sigh of fond exasperation as she tilted her head back. “God give me strength to endure curious Typhon.” She muttered, her accent gaining a bit of thickness.

Ko cocked his head slightly. “Who is God?”

She gave him a pointed look. “I am NOT debating that topic with you right now.” She insisted.

“Why?” He asked curiously.

Mikhaila suddenly covered her face with her hand as she laughed quietly, slumping in her chair. “God, you really are like a kid.”

“Is that a good thing?” He asked a moment later, his voice quite nearer than before.

Mikhaila removed her hand to see Ko sitting before her in one of the chairs. She hadn’t even heard him move the chair or make his way across the room.

She blinked in surprise before considering his question carefully for a moment. “Yes...yes I think it is.” She decided.

“Why?” He asked, his voice more intent as his dual white receptors focused on her.

“Because kids...children are innocent.” She explained. “They ask questions because they are genuinely curious and want to know. Because they don’t know any better and need someone to guide them through life.”

He stared at her silently for a long moment and she felt her neck hairs standing slightly on end at the intensity he seemingly exuded as he sat there, his inky black exterior flowing sluggishly...

_Ko’s POV…_

It wasn’t like before when they were alone together in the room. She wasn’t broadcasting her thoughts strongly enough that he could hear her thoughts or sense her needs instinctively, even as he watched her neural aura flow and ripple pleasantly. This time it was Morgan’s memories that flowed through his mind. Images of cherry blossoms swirled about in his mind’s eye mingled with the scent of clean, soft white silk along with pristine fallen snow. The imagery made little sense to him at the moment but along with them came a powerful feeling of cleansing, purity, and absolution that he somehow knew he wanted...no, needed. He knew Alex had forgiven him for the Operator but the memory still made his insides clench painfully. His discussion with Igwe about his nature and whether he was nothing more than an animal given sentience and empathy had shaken his already unstable sense of self; while he could not recall it he was sure he had done damage to the crew and the station before Alex and the others had captured him and implanted him with the neurons before loading him into the simulation. The idea of punishing him for actions he could not avoid did not sit well with him but at the same time his sense of retribution suggested that it was only proper that he suffer for it. He had been holding back the other fears and worries that had been accumulating inside him since he emerged from the sim in an attempt to prove to them that he was safe and rational, to make sure he did nothing to jeopardize his survival by proving to be unreliable. Even so, after everything that had been happening and all of the truths he had learned not to mention the responsibilities he had been burdened with, he needed an outlet. He also knew there was only one person who could bestow it on him. Not Alex with his authority or Igwe with his intellect. Not Elazar with her strength or Danielle with her passion.

Only Mikhaila with her heart would do.

“Am I...am I innocent?” He asked with soft, pleading intensity...

Mikhaila’s eyes widened at the question. His voice held a mix of emotions, as if simultaneously desperately hoping and fearing the answer she would give him. At the moment she wondered if this was how the priests felt, with their power to absolve or condemn the sins of those who confessed to them with a word. She felt as if she were back in the control room, watching him through the Operator’s camera and deciding his fate all over again as he sat bound to the chair. Intellectually she knew she would need to consider his question and answer him carefully but her heart already knew the answer and how to answer it.

_Would you let it live?..._

“...Yes.” She replied softly, drawing the word out slightly with a thoughtful tone as she had done before, staring into his eyes.

_Ko’s POV…_

The same word. Spoken the same way. Just hearing it sent a shiver through his body unlike anything he had experienced before as her answer registered in his mind. He felt relief flow through him as if he had been pardoned a second time... 

She saw him shiver before he slumped slightly, seemingly in relief, his receptors splitting into four and then six as he let out a quiet sigh. Suddenly he shifted, compacting himself into Morgan’s form with his white shirt and slacks. 

“Thank you.” He whispered, his eyes shining with gratitude and something else she couldn’t quite place. She took in his haggard face and without realizing it her hand reached out to touch his. 

“What are you afraid of Ko?” She asked in soft concern.

His eyes flicked to her hand for a second before looking up at her again fearfully. “Myself…my future...my past....everything.” He whispered.

Mikhaila’s heart went out to him at that moment. She stood, moving closer to him and wrapping her arms around his shoulders, hugging him against her. He shuddered at the alien sensations surging through him as she felt her arms envelop him, his head pressed against her shirt. In his Typhon form his senses were somewhat muted but as Morgan it was much different. His nose was filled with the scent of the flowery detergent used to clean her shirt along with the pheromones and sweat exuded by her skin. He could hear her heart beating rhythmically in her chest, its steady thumping strangely soothing to him. He could feel the softness of the material against his face and firm warmth of her body beneath it. Her hand moved to stroke his hair soothingly, every touch a caress like the smooth silk he had envisioned a moment before. Most of all he felt safe, protected, as she held him. He could feel moisture coming from his eyes as he took it all in, trying to comprehend the emotions surging through him as he drew in a ragged breath.

Mikhaila looked down in silent surprise to see him take in a harsh breath as tears flowed freely down his face.

“It’s alright Ko…” She murmured soothingly as she hugged him tighter, continuing to smooth his dark hair.

The hybrid felt something inside him break loose and suddenly the flood of emotions that he was barely holding in check burst free. His arms moved without thought as he wrapped them around Mikhaila’s abdomen, clutching her as he began to sob harshly. All of the fear, the confusion, the anger, and the panic he had endured over the last few days poured out of him as he pressed himself against her like a sailor clutching at a rock in a powerful storm. Mikhaila continued to hold him as he cried, alternating between rubbing his back and smoothing his hair as she crooned softly to him.

“It’s alright Ko...just let it all out…You’re safe with me...”

Just hearing her say those words in that tone made him shudder in relief as he continued to pour out his anxiety and tension to her in wordless mewlings and soft cries as tears poured down his face.

Some time later he slowly calmed, his breathing evening out. He felt empty and worn out, his insides ragged as if he had been twisted and wrung like a wet towel, and yet there was a stillness in his mind where before it had been barely controlled chaos. As he focused on Mikhaila, looking up at her, he saw her gazing at him gently with a tender smile on her face.

“Feeling better?” She asked gently.

He nodded before glancing at the wet splotches on her shirt from his tears. “I made you wet.” He murmured regretfully.

She held back a laugh as she smoothed his hair comfortingly. “It’s alright. Tears dry in time. You needed this, I think.”

He nodded as he slowly released her, leaning back in the chair and looking up at her again with weary eyes.

“Did I...was that okay...what I did?” He asked timidly.

Mikhaila reached down and gently dried his face with her thumbs. “Don’t ever feel sorry for needing to cry, Ko.” She insisted gently. “We’ll...I’ll be here whenever you need me.” She told him.

He smiled gratefully at her. “You called me innocent.” He murmured, his voice still rough. “I...I needed to know...to hear it...I was afraid of what you’d think of me...because of what I did before...before the sim and all of this…”

She nodded. “It’s alright Ko.” She affirmed. 

He closed his eyes, laying his head against the back of the chair and letting out a long sigh. As she watched his form slowly unwound, shifting back to dark matter and mist. Without hesitation she rested a hand gently against the top of his head. A receptor slowly opened to gaze at her.

“Thank you.” He murmured as he rubbed his head into her hand, savoring the feel of her warm palm against his cold exterior.

* * *

“You seem more relaxed this morning Ko.” Alex mentioned the next morning as he made his way over to the desk. “Get a good night’s rest?”

_She didn’t tell him._ Ko considered for a half second before he replied. “Mikhaila and I had a...chat yesterday.” He explained. “She helped me with some things that had been on my mind.”

Alex glanced at him curiously. “Huh...she didn’t mention that. Still, good to know you’re able to talk to her about any issues you were having. Care to share any of it? It might help if I could offer my own perspective as well.”

Ko shrugged, attempting to make light of it. “It was just seeming like a lot, you know? All of the expectations placed on me, that thing with the Operator and Igwe...it just sort of builds up.” 

Alex nodded. “It’s a lot of responsibility to put on one person, I know. It might have been better if we’d tried to ease you into it but to be frank, there's no easy way to present something like that to a person. Even so,” he continued as he sat down, “we don’t expect you to single-handedly save Earth all by yourself. We want you to be our ambassador to the Typhon not their destroyer. That being said,” he said with a pause, “you’ll probably end up having to fight and even kill them at some point. Do you think you’re capable of that?” He asked seriously, gazing at Ko.

Ko sat down next to him, resting his head on a clawed fist. “I think so.” He said after a moment of thought. “I know what I am and what they are. I also know what I’m not and what I won’t do.” He told Alex, focusing on him. “I think Elazar gave you a good idea of that.”

Alex nodded. “We examined your ‘lesson’ with her at length. Of course it’s one thing to say you can do it. Even with your actions in the sim we need to confirm your...resolve...so there will be ‘tests’ down the road before we send you to Earth.” He warned.

Ko nodded. “Seems like my life is a series of tests.” He suggested.

Alex smiled at that. “Hopefully not forever but you are cramming for a big assignment, so to speak. Like I said, by the time we send you down to Earth you’ll be more than ready.”

Ko nodded as the rotund man continued.

“I actually came down here this morning because I wanted to discuss something you mentioned before. While you were in your...ravenous phase you talked about being able to see auras around each of us. We presume, based on your description, that it depicts neural activity that you can pick up on.”

Ko nodded, thankful to move on to a slightly less distressing topic. “It seems so, yes. I’ve been watching them every time I get the chance. I’m fairly certain it’s what Typhon sense when they’re hunting, like a dog with a scent. They’re always different to some degree but there are some things I noticed that are fairly regular.”

“Such as?” Alex asked.

“I’ve noticed the waves and patterns aren’t ever uniformly smooth.” He explained, sitting back in his chair. “There’s always some activity going on. Maybe it’s different when you sleep, I don’t know, but...a lot of the time it’s like watching a stream or turbulent water. But when you’re thinking seriously about something or deep in thought the waves become sharper like spikes. Sometimes I get hints of other things, like the fact that Igwe constantly has piano music flowing around him and you have orchestra.” 

“Really?” Alex asked, intrigued. “I will admit that I do listen to orchestral music quite a bit and Igwe is quite passionate about Leitner’s piano compositions. Have you ever been able to pick up specific thoughts or words?”

“...No.” Ko replied, wanting to keep his moment with Mikhaila private.

“Hmm...curious...the fact that you can see neural activity though...I’d like to try something if you don’t mind.” Alex suggested. “This won’t exactly be a controlled experiment but I’m willing to take a small risk.”

Ko cocked his head but nodded.

Alex frowned slightly and Ko could see a spike of neural activity at the front of the man’s head.

“I’m holding a specific thought in my mind at the moment and focusing strongly on it.” Alex told him. “I want to see if you can interact with it in some way. Just do whatever comes to you.”

Ko considered this for a moment. “What if I...what if I somehow take it and you lose it?” He asked in concern.

Alex chuffed. “I don’t think I’ll miss losing what I ate for breakfast this morning. Go ahead and try. Just be careful, I don’t need you taking a whole swath of them.”

Ko nodded as he began to reach forward carefully with a claw. _Please don’t let me mess this up…!_

As he drew closer he could see that the spike was composed of a few intertwined strands of neural energy as fine as single hairs, the rest of the aura swirling and almost bubbling around it.

“Oscillations…” He muttered softly as he examined them from inches away.

“What’s that?” Alex asked curiously, causing a brief spike in another section of the flow.

“Something I read in one of the physics textbooks.” Kobalt muttered intently as he peered at the various strands and flows up close. “The aura is almost like frequency oscillations emerging from a ground state.”

More spikes emerged from the sea of thought and Alex huffed quietly. “You’re making it hard to focus on my breakfast Ko.” He grumbled good-naturedly.

Ko laughed lightly at this. “Sorry. Here we go…”

He carefully reached forward with a claw towards the spike. As the tip reached the spike he frowned slightly as the digit went through it as if it were not there.

“Anything?” He asked.

“Nothing odd happening on my end.” Alex replied.

His face tightened slightly in concentration as he focused on the spike, willing himself to grasp it. He felt a tingle of energy flow down his arm and into his hand and a moment later he saw his claw twitch, catching the strands of psi-energy and pulling on it slightly, making them tremble and bend oddly. 

Alex frowned slightly at this. “You did something. Not sure what but it felt like a very light twinge in my mind.”

“I have my claw hooked around it.” Ko murmured intently, his static-y voice slipping unconsciously into Morgan’s more smooth tones. “Apparently I have to want to take hold of them for my body to interact with it. I have an idea...I’m going to start pulling on it carefully to see if I can separate it from the rest without harming you...tell me if you need me to stop.” He instructed. “I don’t want to start pulling on things I shouldn’t.”

“Don’t worry I will.” Alex remarked seriously.

His receptors fully focused on the delicate task before him, Kobalt carefully drew his claw back, pulling on the threads of ethereal energy, his focus shifting between watching them and the threads closest to the base of the spike to ensure he did not start pulling on other strands connected to them. Suddenly he paused as hazy sensations and images he had never experienced before flowed into his mind. In his mind’s eye he saw a plate of food sitting before him and he became dimly aware of a variety of flavors, textures, consistencies, and smells he had never experienced. Alex saw the hybrid shudder slightly as he closed his receptors briefly.

“What was that?” Alex asked carefully.

“Experience.” Ko said in a slightly dazed tone before he shook his head, refocusing on the task before him. 

“What do you mean ‘experience’?” Alex asked him pointedly.

“Everything you experienced about it I saw...tasted...smelled. It was hazy and kind of indistinct but...” Ko murmured in surprise.

“I think we’re onto something here.” Alex suggested. “Keep going.”

Ko nodded before carefully pulling harder on the thread, making it quiver like a bowstring as it began to untangle itself from the rest of Alex’s psyche. 

“It’s feeling more...distant now.” Alex reported thoughtfully. “Harder to recall details and the image is starting to fade from my mind as well.”

Ko nodded. “I can see the strands starting to unravel from the rest.”

Ko continued to pull on the thread, creating greater tension. Suddenly the end of the strand pulled free from Alex’s mind and wrapped around Ko’s claw. The hybrid froze at this, his receptors darting to the point where it had broken free. See no frayed ends or obvious damage he shifted to Alex’s face.

“It’s gone.” Alex said with a bewildered look, glancing up at Ko. “I’m trying to remember but it’s like there a void inside my mind where it used to be. Did you…?”

“I have it here in my claw.” Ko replied, holding it up.

Alex shook his head. “I don’t see anything on it.”

“Is everything else alright?” Ko asked him in concern. “I didn’t remove anything else did I?”

Alex frowned in thought for a moment as he reviewed various other memories, his aura spiking briefly in all directions. “I’ve had that breakfast before and I remember those times just fine along with everything about them. I didn’t forget how they taste or smell, or what those smells and sensations are like, I just can’t remember this morning’s breakfast. Funny thing, it feels like my brain is trying to ‘patch over the hole’ so to speak. I’m starting to think that maybe I skipped breakfast this morning or it wasn’t important enough to remember.”

“The mind fills in gaps in continuity to heal itself.” Ko suggested.

Alex nodded thoughtfully. “Makes sense. Well, I’d say that experiment was a success. Next question is, can you put it back after its been taken out?”

“I wish I could frown.” Ko muttered as he moved his claw back towards Alex’s head, manipulating the frayed end of the memetic strand to try and reconnect it to the larger whole. After a few moments of effort Ko sat back and shook his head. “It doesn’t seem to want to reconnect.” He explained regretfully. 

Alex frowned in consideration. “Hmmm...pity. Good thing we tried something simple then.” He glanced up at Ko. “What do you plan to do with it?”

Alex blinked as he saw the hybrid move the claw to his face and insert it for a moment... 

_Ko’s POV…_

“What do you plan to do with it?”

His arm moved instinctively without thought, bringing the golden strand to his face. As he engulfed it memory blossomed in his mind, taking over his senses. He found himself sitting at a table with a plate of food in front of him. He could feel the pleasant anticipation of eating one of his favorite dishes before taking hold of the fork and stabbing it into the mix of meat, eggs, vegetables, and cheese before bringing it to his mouth. The tastes, aromas, and textures he had dimly experienced when his claw had scraped at the strand now erupted in full force. He could feel himself chewing with human teeth, savoring the various flavors with a human tongue, before swallowing and feeling the material travel down his esophagus before taking another bite. He took another, and then another, until the plate was empty, leaving his taste-buds and stomach content. A moment later he came back to himself, taking in a deep breath. While it had only been a single strand of psychic energy, the pureness and richness of it made the psi-hypos and other psycho-reactive meals he had been given seem like stale bread and tepid water in comparison. His body tingled pleasantly with a small amount of renewed energy as he slowly reopened his receptors... 

Alex watched as Ko closed his receptors, tilting his head back as his body shivered, taking in several soft gasps before slowly opening the white orbs.

“Enjoy your snack?” Alex asked with a hint of amused sarcasm.

“Oh yesss…!” Ko muttered.

The hairs on the back of Alex’s neck stood on end at the blissful tone in the hybrid’s now static-laced voice.

“Ko...focus please.” Alex insisted quietly.

Ko blinked a few times before seemingly coming back to himself and focusing on Alex.

“Tell me?” Alex asked.

“I experienced it all.” He said softly in astonishment. “I could really taste it, smell it...it’s like I was there, experiencing the memory for myself and everything that went with it. It was...amazing!”

Alex gave him a penetrating look and Ko could see his aura surging back and forth as Alex’s mind considered the implications of his revelation. “When you engulfed the memory you somehow...inserted it into your neural structure...added the memory to your own set of mental schema...how did you experience it exactly? Was it as if you yourself were there or…” 

“I was the one sitting at the table and eating the food but I could sense your anticipation...or rather I felt your anticipation to eat it like it was my own experience. Even though I’ve never eaten anything like it before it felt as though I had.” Ko explained.

Alex rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “So it was as if you were reliving the experience from my perspective, not just viewing it as an outside observer.” He considered. “Very interesting indeed.”

“I feel a little bit more energized too.” Ko admitted. 

“I expected that, given your physiology.” Alex replied. “Are you still able to experience the memory or is it gone now that you ‘consumed’ it?”

Ko shook his head. “I can still recall it perfectly if I wish. The memory is mine now.”

Alex nodded. “Good to know. Sounds like we need to introduce you to real food if it gives you that kind of reaction.” He suggested humorously.

Ko merely vibrated his receptors swiftly back and forth in exasperation.

Alex smiled as he took hold of one of the textbooks. “I need to let the others know about this and discuss it with them. We’ll definitely be experimenting with this ability more in the future. In the meantime, let’s review Moreau’s philosophies on ethics shall we?”

“Fun.” Ko grumbled with a sigh.


	8. Chapter 7

“That was an incredibly stupid thing to do!” Danielle exclaimed as she stood before Alex’s desk. The man had invited the group to his office later that afternoon after Ko’s lesson had ended to discuss what had transpired. Needless to say it did not go over well.

“Oh yes! Let’s have Ko, who has never done anything like this before, I might add, mess about with your mind! No safeguards or precautions in place! Not even telling the rest of us what you had planned!” She shouted, her balled fists planted firmly on the plasteel surface as she glared at him heatedly.

The others stood behind her, glancing at each other silently and with hints of satisfied amusement as they watched the woman berate their boss. For Alex’s part he weathered the tirade with stoic calm as Danielle continued to lay into him.

“What would have happened if he had slipped or made a mistake and pulled out a bunch more of those ‘threads’?” She demanded. “We might have found you lying comatose on the floor or forever forgotten the last six months of time! Nevermind that if Ko had actually injured you it would have turned him into a psychological train wreck! We’re just now getting him mentally stable and you put him in a situation where--”

“ENOUGH!” Alex barked, having reached the limit of what he was willing to endure as he frowned at her. “I don’t disagree with anything you’ve said but as much as I’m sure you’re enjoying this I do not enjoy being yelled at or dictated to in my own office! Now calm yourself and sit down all of you!” He insisted firmly, staring at her before flicking his eyes to the group behind her. 

Danielle stood up, her eyes blazing with challenge and her face flushed. She appeared to be on the cusp of arguing further but decided to step back and sit down with the others at the small conference table sitting nearby.

Alex sighed heavily as he rubbed his face with a hand before moving from behind his desk to sit at the table before addressing them. “Every point you made is valid and you all have a right to be concerned. Yes, what I did was not normal procedure, yes there were risks involved, and yes if something had gone wrong the consequences could have been serious. However, I ask you to think for a moment. What kind of procedure could we have set up to ensure the safe retention of my memories in case Ko did do something wrong? The Psychoscopes wouldn’t have had the functionality to observe what Ko was doing and none of our equipment would have been able to prevent any kind of disaster. It’s not like what I was attempting required a clean room, operating theater, or any other specialized environment. How would you have tested this?”

“Perhaps using an Operator or some other less mission-critical personnel would have been a better choice.” Igwe suggested with a hint of steel in his voice. “One does not use one of the very few specialists on board to conduct dangerous experiments upon. It is called using a guinea pig or lab rat in the literal sense of the phrase. If something were to happen to you the Transtar Board of Directors would turn their full wrath upon us and I do not envision any of us surviving such a scenario. I could easily see them utilizing Dahl the same way we utilized him in the simulation.” He said darkly.

Alex grimaced slightly at the notion. While he doubted the Director would authorize such over-zealously lethal force he was also sure that every person in the room would feel the brunt of his wrath, as well as the wrath of the Board. Considering the political, financial, and personal power each of the members had at their disposal, their chances of surviving said wrath in one piece were indeed slim. 

Setting the thought aside he continued to push back. “And what guinea pig would you suggest we use?” He asked in slight exasperation. “I can’t see any of the crew volunteering to be Ko’s test subject and we wouldn’t be able to get any kind of confirmation from actual animal specimens. It would have had to be one of us and none of us are replaceable.”

He sighed. “I won’t deny that if Ko had miscalculated it would have seriously traumatized him. But I specifically asked him to try. I know the most about how the Typhon function and was in the best position to guide him if need be. It was a simple test and it was successful as far as it went. What we need to focus on now are the ramifications of it and how we can put it to use, not to mention what other tests we might want to run that relate to this idea of memory absorption.”

The others stared at him in surprise. “You seriously want to try this again?” Danielle demanded. “What’s next, removing chunks of your mind to see what happens?”

“More likely he’ll slurp up your psychic strands like a normal person eats spaghetti.” Elazar snarked. 

Mikhaila chimed in a moment later. “I definitely can’t see the crew agreeing to anything like that unless we somehow find a person like the Ingram persona in the simulation. Of course if Ko did absorb a mind like that it would probably break him completely due to abject loathing.”

“I’m afraid I must agree, the crew would not agree to take such a risk and any miscalculations would set Kobalt’s progress back significantly.” Igwe stated flatly. “We do not have the time or resources available to continue such tests while he is on Talos 1. Perhaps once we place him in the field after he had gone through the necessary training we can attempt such a thing but it is not a viable option at this time.”

Alex grimaced but nodded, realizing he had zero support for the idea. “Fine. We’ll shelve any further testing until he’s been trained and the crew have had a chance to get to know him. Perhaps by then one of them will trust him enough to give it a try and Ko will be much more confident in his abilities. For the time being let’s focus on the ramifications. Your thoughts?” He asked.

“The fact that he is able to at least retain the information he consumed in the long term is impressive enough and his theory about the auras being mental oscillations should be investigated further.” Igwe remarked. “But the fact that he is able to feel and experience the individual’s emotions during the event offers some very interesting possibilities, especially if he were in a situation where interrogation was needed. If we can train him to manipulate others into focusing on what they wish to keep hidden, retrieving that information and learning their motivations at the same time would be extremely valuable.”

“I don’t disagree with that but the question is, why would he be interrogating people?” Elazar asked. “He’s going to be helping the resistance on Earth.”

“Maybe so but that might involve him having to delve into people’s minds, especially if there’s some concerns about a mole or traitor in their ranks.” Danielle suggested. “Unlikely yes, given the circumstances, but you never know. He needs to be ready for anything when he gets planetside.”

“I can train him in that to a degree but that’s not really my specialty.” The Israeli woman said. “I underwent some Mossad training for a time but my focus was utilizing tactical squads to support counter-terrorism operations, not advanced interrogation techniques. I will be focusing more on his direct combat skills like tactics, hand to hand combat, weapons training, live fire stress conditioning, and so on.”

Alex nodded. “It’ll be enough. What else?” He asked everyone.

“Well it would certainly help his training in becoming more human if he had a full set of memories to draw on.” Mikhaila suggested. “We know a lot of his issues stem from the fact that he has literally no past except for Morgan’s memory fragments and he’s learning everything as he goes. If he were to...absorb someone’s memories he could understand the human condition a lot better, especially the nuances that he doesn’t fully grasp yet.”

“Not only that, he could literally become said person if he engulfed their psyches entirely.” Elazar offered. “As distasteful as it might be for both him and the other party I could conceive of a time where he could take on the psyche of a dying soldier and literally become the man’s replacement, having full access to his memories and personality. He would make the perfect infiltrator.”

“Assuming he doesn’t freak out completely upon realizing what he’s done.” Mikhaila sighed.

“Again we’re thinking about this in terms of him versus other humans.” Igwe pointed out. “We do not intend that to be the case. He will most likely be battling other Typhon of various types and he will have no use for such abilities; being able to mimic a human being perfectly is useless around a horde of Typhon. He needs to understand what being a Typhon is like as well. He must be able to intermingle with them without being detected to accomplish whatever mission the resistance deems him fit for.”

“We’ll be training him in that as well.” Alex confirmed. “Ideally he’ll be able to draw on his own instincts for that but we have other test subjects we can place him in close proximity with to test how other Typhon will react to him, and how he reacts to them. Regardless of what we intend to have happen we all know very well that life rarely goes according to our whims and wishes. We’ll try to prepare him for every eventuality we can and the resistance will help him train further if need be.” 

The meeting passed quickly with various ideas being tossed about and plans drawn up before they adjourned.

* * *

The next few days were fortunately uneventful and Ko found himself feeling much more relaxed and at peace with himself than before. He continued to diligently apply himself to his studies and while he still had a somewhat cool relationship with Igwe he continued to warm to the others as they instructed him on myriad topics. A book on poetry had been especially interesting as it had made him realize just how much humans strove for patterns in almost every aspect of their lives. Even the regularness of the text on the page, the even margins around the edges of each sheet of paper, and the regular patterns of rhyme and rhythm were telling. Just recalling the sound of Mikhaila’s steady heartbeat in his ear and the soothing sensation it offered with its sense of consistent permanence was a powerful example; it made perfect sense to him to trace tribal dances and even modern music with its steady pounding rhythms back to that primal source. His textbooks had shown him that their minds worked in categories, always organizing and testing things over and over to ensure they got it right. From the smallest child testing their first words to the rigors of the scientific method that humanity touted so highly, all of it was based on pattern recognition and consistency of outcomes to make sense of what was around them. 

Training, conditioning, making adjustments when necessary, and repetition of successful results to create an optimal outcome. The idealistic side of him considered it efficient evolution. The darker, cynical side called it brainwashing. 

Freed from his guilt about what he was, he had been able to carefully delve back into the recesses of his mind a few times, even to the point of allowing his Typhon instincts to briefly take over after warning the others to lock down his section of the station. Fortunately, beyond flashing out of his room and around the various corridors he had already explored to search for sustenance, little had come from such experiments and he was easily able to reassert himself without fear or disgust at his actions. It soon became obvious to him, after reading some of the Project Cobalt research data Alex had brought, that if humans were pattern-seekers trying to organize the universe into knowable quantities then Typhon were the near opposite. Obviously they had their own patterns as life could not evolve without some sort of consistency in form and function as well as replication, but patterns beyond those necessary for continued existence to the Typhon were just another means of knowing one’s prey. A prey that responded in the same way to specific stimuli became knowable. A prey that followed a routine pattern of behavior could be stalked at one’s convenience, making it easy to hunt. 

Prey with patterns were lazy, prone to being lulled into a false sense of security, and ultimately, food.

Typhon had no need to create or make use of patterns because there was no need to do so. Instincts and reflexes were what drove them, their adoptable free-form bodies allowing them to evolve rapidly as the situation warranted. As he continued to examine his inner self he was forced to come to the conclusion that Igwe had been more or less correct; individually they were like any other Terran animal in that they had no higher consciousness, their actions dictated by evolved instincts and needs. Even the Apex Typhon, as horrifying as it was, seemed little better than an animal trying to break open the hard shell of the station to get to the food inside, like a bird with an oyster. Yet, he had seen them use tactics and strategies when grouped together in the simulation so it was obvious that pack mentality or at least the use of such tactics were part of their repertoire. While not necessarily conscious they had the ability to communicate with each other to set ambushes as well as other feats of impressive creativity. The fact that Technopaths and Telepaths could instinctively command nearly any technology and alien psyches down to their most basic levels with limited exposure to either was frightening when taken to their logical conclusions. He had no idea how long the Typhon had existed as a species but given the vast interstellar distances involved in getting to the solar system, millions of years didn’t seem like much of a stretch. They could easily have created or adopted every conceivable type of hunting technique in such a long period of time as well as encountered countless civilizations of highly evolved beings, learning to subvert their technology and their own people against them all in the pursuit of finding fertile minds to consume and expand their species further and further across the galaxy, possibly even the universe itself. 

The fact that they had been able to overrun Earth with sheer numbers and instinctive creativity alone made him shiver at the near inevitability of it, given what the Typhon were capable of. 

Fortunately he was able to push such existential horror out of mind for the time being, deciding to immerse himself in his studies and worry about the practical aspects later. Elazar’s remark about him needing to keep a human form even under great stress and the fact that Mikhaila was going to help him alter his appearance had prompted him to research human anatomy in more depth. While his body was easily capable of creating the various organs and structures a human body needed to function as well as mimic certain actions as the situation warranted he wanted to be able to alter himself completely, becoming fully human on the inside should he ever be subjected to some sort of deep scan or test by the human resistance to prove his humanity. While the brain’s complexity was rather beyond him to replicate perfectly the other internal systems were somewhat easier after reviewing various medical textbooks and anatomical drawings, allowing him to alter his insides to create those structures in isolation as well as in conjunction with others. He still had quite a bit of practice ahead of him as ensuring he could create all of them together and have them seemingly function in tandem was a daunting prospect but he was certain he would master it in time. 

He had also taken to following whomever was teaching him that day back to their quarters, with the exception of Igwe, in an attempt to familiarize himself with more of the station and explore it unobtrusively, as well as learn the locations of their rooms without having to rely on his Transcribe. It also gave him the opportunity to ask questions about various topics that came to his mind. Fortunately these walks had been fairly isolated and he had not needed to interact or meet any of the crew, though he knew that was coming soon as well. 

One evening about a week later he was following Mikhaila back to her room after a day of instruction, using Morgan’s form in case a member of the crew happened by.

“It still amazes me that you can use tiny electrical switches to create computers that powerful.” He remarked to her.

Mikhaila smiled. “Of course that was back before quantum computing became a reality. Of course, on the station we need to use vintage technology like that for a lot of the critical systems to ensure there’s less chance of total system failure. You might not be able to do as much with them but purely physical systems that don’t rely on quantum fluctuations to make decisions are a lot more robust.”

She reached her door and opened it. As Ko turned to leave she rested a hand on his shoulder. “Come on in for a moment.” She suggested. “I have something for you.”

Intrigued, he nodded and followed her into the room, the door hissing shut behind him. The cabin was compact like the others on board consisting of a sectioned off room with a bed and computer desk, table, chairs, and inset lavatory as well as a wardrobe and storage, the color scheme done in warm browns. Mikhaila sat down at her computer near the bed and booted it up with Ko hovering nearby. She brought up a few folders before a picture appeared, taking up the whole screen. 

Mikhaila turned to him with a smile. “I promised you a face to help create your own identity apart from Morgan. I hope you like it.”

Ko stepped forward to peer at the image. On the screen was the face of a young Russian man with trim raven hair that had a slight wave to it. His face was pale and boyish with well-defined cheekbones and slightly puffy lips. His nose was average as were his ears but his eyes were a striking blue like shimmering water beneath a pair of black eyebrows. The image did not immediately strike Ko as anything special but as he drew on Morgan’s memories, recalling other human beings Alex’s brother had met before comparing their features against the photo, he realized that most would consider the man handsome and possibly charming given the sculpted nature of his face and his brilliant eyes.

“Interesting.” Ko remarked with a hint of curiosity as he peered intently at the screen, memorizing every pixel.

“I’d like to see you in it, if you want to give it a try.” She offered.

He blinked in surprise, glancing back at her. “It might take me a minute or two to get it down.” He cautioned.

She shrugged. “I have time.” She replied as she got up from the desk and sat down on the edge of the bed.

Ko sat down in the recently vacated chair and continued to focus on the picture. He could feel his mind shifting a bit as he created a perfect mental copy of the image. He was a bit disappointed that he could not see the rest of the man’s body for comparison but creating one from scratch was simple enough given the various medical textbooks he had been reading recently. Even he knew that simply sticking the man’s head onto Morgan’s body would look strange and out of place, better to create an entirely new body that matched the face. Nodding to himself he stood and walked to the middle of the room before closing his eyes and shifting back to his Typhon form.

Isolating himself inside his mind he began the process of mentally constructing the new body from head to toe, drawing on his knowledge of what a human male in prime physical condition would look like. He had no interest in creating a hugely muscular specimen nor one that was out of shape like Alex was, but simply a male at the peak of health and vigor. Finally he held the completed image in his mind, examining it from every angle. It would be best, he decided, if Mikhaila could confirm that everything was in its proper place and not misaligned somehow; she would be the best judge of such things, being human herself and much more aware of such aesthetics. 

Nodding to himself, he allowed his body to begin the transformation. He could feel his exterior changing as sluggishly-flowing dark matter was replaced with soft skin, his face and body altering carefully to the specifications he desired. A moment later he felt the change solidify and he opened his eyes to smile at Mikhaila.

“So? What do you think? Does everything look good? Is everything proportioned correctly?” He asked expectantly.

A second later he frowned in confusion as he saw Mikhaila’s mental aura spiking swiftly, her face somewhat red. 

“Everything’s...everything’s fine.” She muttered to the very naked Ko standing before her. 

He saw her eyes flicking from his chest to a place further down, lingering for a moment before they flicked back up again. 

Somewhat confused by her reaction he looked down at himself. There was nothing unusual or out of place about himself that he could see; the skin tone and body type appeared to be correct, his limbs were not too long nor did they bulge strangely or move in the wrong direction. He ran his hands along his torso, checking to make sure he had not created the skin incorrectly before he noticed her eyes kept flicking to a specific part of his body.

_What is she...is she trying to tell me I did that part wrong?_ He wondered.

Glancing down at his lower stomach and then his groin he cupped his genitals in his hands, examining them carefully and stretching the skin back and forth before glancing up at Mikhaila with a confused look. 

_All the pictures I saw in the texts suggested this was how they should look...Maybe if I changed them a little…_

Focusing his will he ordered that part of his body to shift slightly, increasing his length and girth as well as the size of his sack by a small amount before looking up at Mikhaila. “Is that better?” He asked helpfully. 

“It’s...umm…” She muttered, flushing deeper, her aura spiking again.

“What is it Mikhaila?” He asked, becoming more confused. “I’m trying to get it just right for you.” 

She turned her head at that, her eyes focusing elsewhere, her psyche spiking even more erratically.

Ko grimaced, becoming frustrated at her lack of helpfulness. _I’m obviously doing something wrong. Why won’t she tell me? Maybe I can find out another way. Let me try something. Alex did say we needed to experiment more with this..._

He stepped closer, reaching out his hand to rest near the aura that surrounded her head. His body instinctively desired to reach out and take the aura for itself in order to devour it but he forced the thought away. Instead of plucking at some of the spiking strands as he had done with Alex he allowed his senses to skim along the surface of the waves, hoping he would be able to pick up some inkling of what Mikhaila was thinking. Suddenly a surge of information and emotion flooded through his mind, making him gasp as his eyes widened in shock.

He felt heat, arousal, and a powerful desire to connect as he saw his perfectly sculpted and pale naked body in her mind. A moment later he heard her recent surface thoughts in his mind.

_Oh yes, everything is ‘proportioned’ very nicely!_

_Stop it!_

_God he’s so hot! That smooth chest...that flat stomach!_

_Stop looking at him like that! He’s a teenager!_

_He just made it bigger! Trying to make it just the right size for me!_

_He doesn’t know what he’s saying! Stop acting like some stupid schoolgirl! Say something damnit!_

Ko blinked in surprise at this before elation welled up inside him. He had been worried that he had miscalculated somehow but apparently not only had he done his work well but she apparently found him, or at least this body, quite attractive. Curiously following the flow of thoughts deeper into her mind he began to get more flashes of her desires, arousal flowing around and through him like a living heat wave.

_I want to touch him!_

He saw an image flash by of her hands on his chest.

_I want to feel him!_

Another image, this time of her hands wrapped around his genitals.

_I want him!_

He caught a brief glimpse of their naked bodies pressed together with both of them joined together, making him gasp in astonishment.

_She...she wants to mate with me?_

Surprise and an unexpected anticipation surged through him before he felt Mikhaila’s hand smack his hand away from her head, breaking the connection and bringing him back to himself. He panted softly, his eyes dilated as he tried to process the feelings and thoughts he had just experienced. As he refocused on Mikhaila he saw her staring at him with wide eyes, her face red and her aura still chaotic as it pulsed in all directions. 

“Ko what...what did you just do?” She demanded.

“I...I just touched your aura for a moment.” He explained hesitantly, confused by her frightened tone. “I could see something was off about how I looked but you wouldn’t say why so I thought…I mean Alex told you about me being able to see thoughts right? He said I needed to practice more with it and so when I touched it I saw...I heard how you felt about me.” 

She gasped softly at that, her aura becoming much more frantic.

“Ko, you must not do that again!” She insisted fretfully.

“Why?” He asked in genuine confusion.

“Because our minds are supposed to be private!” She exclaimed. “Places where we can think and say and do what we want without anyone else knowing! There are thoughts that you have no right to...that you shouldn’t see!”

His face took on a hurt expression. “You’re....you’re embarrassed about how I look? How you feel about me?”

“No!...Yes...I…” She exclaimed before covering her face with a hand. “It’s complicated.” She moaned.

Even with the connection broken, this close he could feel the shame and embarrassment rolling off of her.

_She’s upset and flustered...just like you were the other night._ He realized in consternation. _You need to help her now like she helped you. Reassure her like she did for you._

Sitting down on the bed next to her he put an arm around her shoulders. “It’s alright Mikhaila.” He muttered soothingly in a tone similar to the one she had used on him. “I’m sorry I looked into your mind. I won’t do it again unless you let me, I promise. But I learned so much just from that brief look.” He explained earnestly before speaking soothingly again. “Mikhaila...you don’t need to feel embarrassed about what you felt. It’s...it’s okay to touch me Mikhaila. I don’t mind, really, I don’t.” He insisted gently as he took her hand in his and pressed it gently against his chest.

Her breath hitched at the feel of his warm smooth skin beneath her fingers as he began to slide it down his chest to his stomach with its slight six pack.

“You can touch me like you wanted Mikhaila.” He reassured her gently as he moved her hand down his stomach. “It’s okay if you want to mate with me.” He offered as he moved her hand lower still. “I’d be happy to--” 

Suddenly she jerked her hand out of his grasp a moment before it would have come in contact with his genitals. Mikhaila pulled away from him, sitting on the corner of the bed, her body rigid and her aura blazing faster and rougher than before as she stared at him. 

Ko stared back in shock, frozen at the terrified look in her eyes.

_I...I made it worse._ He realized in dismay a moment later, his face taking on a crestfallen look. _I tried to help her and I only made it worse._

“Ko...you need to leave.” Mikhaila said in a brittle tone.

It took a moment for the request to register in his numbed mind. Nodding unhappily he slowly stood. “I’m sorry. Whatever I did...I’m sorry.” He said mournfully, giving her a tormented look before turning and leaving the room.

Mikhaila stared at the spot he had occupied for a moment before letting out a harsh breath, covering her face with her hands and trying not to shiver.

Ko made his way back to his room, his feet carrying him to his destination automatically as the flood of conflicting emotions inside him surged back and forth. 

_You fouled up again! Just as things were getting calmed down you went and screwed everything up again! What did you do this time you stupid idiot?!_ He snarled to himself.

Finally reaching his room he sat down on the bed. His thoughts burned with unhappiness and frustration and he wanted nothing more than to lash out and scream but he refused to give in to such base desires. He was better than that and was determined to figure out what he had done. 

As he cast his mind back, reviewing everything that had happened moment by moment he remembered that as he rode the waves of her psyche he could feel Mikhaila’s shame and guilt warring with her instinctive desire to touch him, to connect their bodies together and share...something. The guilt and shame felt like a scalding fire inside him but the arousal and desire helped to keep it at bay. He could not determine what the joining he saw would produce, the jumble of concepts and desires was too dense and interconnected for him to unpack it properly, but it was obviously something incredibly powerful. He also knew that whatever that powerful something was he wanted to experience it, the draw like a physical hunger inside him, nearly as strong as the desire to consume and feed. 

_Passion…_ The word whispered to his mind from Morgan’s memories.

Frowning, he tried to understand what it meant, hoping to draw on more of Morgan’s past to place it in context. After a few moments he grunted in frustration at being stymied. Morgan had been passionate about his work and his achievements but there was always a cool, clinical edge to them and his understanding of those memories was dim and fragmented at best. In contrast what he felt from Mikhaila was raw, more pure and immediate. He wanted more of it but at the moment what he really needed was help to understand what had happened. He had obviously hurt her or she would never have acted the way she had and he badly wanted to rectify the situation. The obvious reason was his unwanted intrusion into her mind which, in retrospect given her explanation, was extremely invasive. Given that he had held all that negativity and fear inside himself without displaying it to the others he could hardly expect them to allow him such freedom without their permission. 

He shook his head angrily at himself for his thoughtlessness but he knew there must be more to it than that. She had smacked his hand away when he dove deeper into her mind but she had pulled away from him in fear when he had been moving her hand to the place she wanted badly to touch while making his offer to mate with her.

Looking down at his body again, he took a moment to examine himself, wondering just what was it about that part of him and his offer that elicited such a powerful surge of paradoxical emotions. He understood the basic functions of this part of his new anatomy, having read the medical texts, but that hardly seemed enough to create such a negative response from her. He had briefly read about how humans procreated in those books but it was obviously just a summary of the mechanics if the idea caused her this much emotional turmoil. 

He sighed in frustration and confusion, allowing his body to unravel as he transformed into his Typhon form while lying down on the bed. Danielle would be his instructor tomorrow, perhaps she could provide some insight into what had happened and what he should do.

He only hoped Mikhaila would forgive him for what he had unknowingly done.


	9. Chapter 8

He stood in the darkness of interstellar space with the galaxy shining in the background, its luminous clouds of dust and multitudes of stars creating a grand vista all around him. Suddenly space trembled and a Phantom stepped from the darkness of the void, its receptors pinned on him as its claws twitched in anticipation. As it stepped closer to him it began to emit hisses of cosmic radio static. It would have been impossible to translate the garbled chords as they scaled the radio band but there was no need for translation in any case, he could sense the pure anger, frustration, and disdain poured into the crackling surge of frequencies that the very stars used as their voices.

“More of your pissy attitude?” Ko asked him in annoyance. 

The phantom spat another sharp burst of white noise at him as it clenched its fists.

Suddenly it was in front of his face, its hand lashing out to slap him with blinding speed. Caught unawares he had no time to even process the action before he felt himself flying, landing hard on whatever surface this dreamscape was made of. In an instant, before he could move, the Phantom stood over him, its claw formed in a spear whose point rested inches from his face.

_Slow! Stupid!_ It thought to him in a static-y voice he knew well. 

“You seem...frustrated.” Ko snarled quietly as he glared at the figure above him, tossing the creature’s words from before back into its face. 

The Phantom roared furiously, rearing back the spear before thrusting it violently into his face.

Ko sat up with a gasp, panting harshly for a moment as the lights in the room activated. 

“Great, I’m even more frustrated now.” He growled to himself. “No point in going back to bed.” He sighed as he stood. “Might as well get some reading done…”

Time passed as he flipped through the various texts, half reading the words as he scanned the pages. By the time Danielle arrived a few hours later with his breakfast and her materials he was utterly bored and brimming with restless energy.

“Alright, spill. What happened?” Danielle asked in resignation as she watched him down the psychically enhanced water and porridge roughly.

Ko sighed, leaning against the table. “I screwed up again.” He grumbled.

Danielle rolled her eyes at him. “That much is obvious. What exactly did you do to screw up?”

He turned to face her as he leaned against the table. “You know how Mikhaila was going to help me create a new identity for myself right?” He asked tiredly.

“Mmm-hmm.” Danielle nodded.

“Well she asked me to come in to her room so she could show me the face she’d picked out.” He explained. “She wanted to see how it looked on me so I decided to create a body to go with the face. It would be weird using Morgan’s body with the face she picked but when I showed her what I looked like she got all embarrassed. I tried asking her what was wrong and I even tried adjusting things a little bit to make it right but she kept getting more red-faced. Finally when I couldn’t get an answer from her I decided to practice that new ability Alex and I tested the other day.” He continued. “Apparently that was the worst thing I could have done because she slapped my hand away after I saw a few things. She got really upset too. She explained why so I tried to make it up to her and reassure her but she got even more upset and made me leave.”

Danielle frowned at this. “There’s obviously more to it than what you’re telling me. Show me exactly what you did and what you said. Don’t leave anything out.”

“Where do you want me to start?” He asked.

“First show me what you changed into.” She instructed.

Ko nodded before standing and transforming himself into the body he had used the night before sans clothing. Danielle blinked in surprise, her eyes roaming over his body for a moment before smiling. 

“Is this literally what you did when she asked you to show yourself to her?” She asked in quiet amusement.

“I don’t think it’s so funny.” He grumbled, crossing his arms and glaring at her. “But yes.”

Her smile widened a bit as she tapped her lips with a fingertip. “Tell me the conversation word for word after that.” She said. “Everything you can remember.”

Ko dutifully repeating back the conversation to Danielle. As he spoke her smile got more and more broad until finally she burst out laughing. Ko clenched his fists in annoyance as she laughed loudly before finally getting control of herself a few moments later, wiping her face with a hand.

“Oh my god that is too funny!” She exclaimed before grinning up at him. “Keep going, please! I haven’t laughed this hard in ages.”

“I don’t see why I should keep going if all you’re going to do is laugh at me.” He retorted in frustration.

She smiled, baring her teeth. “Because you need my help to figure this out and I can’t do that unless you tell me everything. Now keep going.”

Ko let out a loud huff, glaring at the ceiling before he continued. As he spoke about what he saw and the emotions he had felt while in Mikhaila’s mind Danielle’s eyes grew wide as she continued to grin like a shark. When he described his attempts to reassure her she put her hand to her mouth with a series of blinks. As he finished his narrative she shook her head and began to laugh silently behind her hand, her shoulders shaking.

Ko sighed unhappily. “Stop laughing at me please.” He pleaded quietly. “I feel horrible enough as it is without you making fun of me.”

With a few snickers she finally regained control. “I’m sorry, I really shouldn’t laugh but it really is too funny looking at it from the outside.”

“So what did I do?” He asked plainly. “I get it that I shouldn’t have looked into her mind like that but what did I do to scare her?” He asked. “It was like all of a sudden I was…” He blinked as things suddenly clicked into place. “It’s like all of a sudden I was the over-eager creepy human again. That’s it, isn’t it? I creeped her out like I did during our first lesson.” He muttered in dismay before groaning quietly.

Danielle snickered a bit at this. “You’re close but you were acting more like an over-eager perverted human than a creepy human.” She suggested.

“Perverted?” He asked in confusion.

Danielle let her head lay back against the back of the chair. “You really had no idea what you were doing or saying and she totally misinterpreted it. Okay Ko, sit down, I’m gonna have to explain a few things to you about the Birds and the Bees, not to mention Mikhaila.”

Ko frowned as he sat down on the chair. “What do birds and insects have to do with what we’re talking about?” He asked. “Is that another expression?”

She smirked. “Yes, it is. By the way, would you mind creating some clothes for yourself. As much as I’d love to ogle your body all day it will get kind of distracting.”

“At least it’s nice to look at.” He muttered in resignation as he sat back, closing his eyes to think up some proper clothes.

“Oh it’s very nice, believe me. That’s part of her issue.” Danielle said with a smile.

A moment later Ko’s body blurred before a button down shirt and a pair of slacks similar to Morgan’s school outfit materialized around him. He opened his eyes and glanced down at himself before looking at Danielle. “Better?”

“Much.” She replied. “Okay, first things first. As a general rule humans don’t run around naked so make sure you cover yourself up. Otherwise people will get very embarrassed being around you.”

“I gathered that much.” He remarked grumpily. “I didn’t think it would be that much of an issue though. She said she wanted to see how I looked.”

“Maybe if you presented yourself with clothes on it wouldn’t have mattered but I can see why you did what you did. Here’s the thing though. Do you have any idea where she got that picture from?” She asked.

Ko shook his head. 

“I didn’t think so.” Danielle replied. “Well let me let you in on a little secret. That face you’re wearing is similar to a Russian actor that was very popular. Everyone thought he was strikingly handsome including Mikhaila. So whether she realized it or not, your face is based off of someone she was rather taken with.” She grinned.

“You’re kidding.” He muttered in disbelief. 

Danielle shook her head with a grin. “Nope. To be perfectly blunt, I’m willing to bet she’d been wanting to see him strutting around in the buff and you gave her just what she wanted. Of course since it was you she didn’t dare act on what she really wanted to do. Not that it stopped her from thinking about it of course which is what you picked up on when you entered her mind.”

“The guilt mixed with the arousal.” He considered

She nodded. “She wanted you real bad but she also knew it was totally inappropriate for her to want you that way.”

“Why would it be inappropriate?” He asked her with a perplexed look. “I don’t mind if she touches me or does what she was thinking about. If it makes her happy I’m fine with doing what she wants.”

Danielle shook her head in mild astonishment. “You really are totally innocent. You have no idea what you’re offering to do for her.”

Ko frowned thoughtfully. “I’m pretty sure I know the mechanics of what she wants to do but I know I’m not getting the significance since it scared her that much, not to mention the feelings it generated.”

“Those feelings are some of the most powerful and beautiful a human can experience.” Danielle explained. “Not surprising you don’t understand. But what you need to understand is, you were offering yourself to Mikhaila in a way very few have and she wasn’t prepared for that so she acted on instinct to stop you from going too far.”

“Too far with what?” He asked, intrigued in spite of his confusion.

Danielle leaned forward slightly, resting her elbows on the table as she took on a more serious tone. “Something you need to understand about human society is that it has a lot of issues with expressing intimacy and sexual desire. I’m not going to get into the history of it because it would take way too long. In summary, we have a lot of rules regarding it, mostly about things you aren’t allowed to do. Those rules mostly deal with consent, you have to be a certain age and have the right mental maturity to make sure someone doesn’t take advantage of you, or conversely, that you don’t take advantage of someone else. That’s what Mikhaila was concerned about. It’s drilled into our heads over and over again that you don’t take advantage of someone like a child or a teenager in that way...someone innocent.” She said pointedly.

Ko sat very still at this as his eyes widened. “You mean…”

Danielle nodded. “People who take advantage of the innocent like that are condemned as the vilest of monsters. I know you don’t think of your body as important since you can change it at will but to Mikhaila, you were like a child offering to have sex with her without having any idea of what you were offering. She didn’t want to take that innocence from you. Worse still, she knew how everyone else would see it if they found out.”

“The vilest of monsters.” He muttered softly in consternation.

Danielle nodded. “I’ve no doubt it would be different for you but Mikhaila doesn’t want to...sully...your innocence with something like that. That’s why she didn’t want you seeing those thoughts of hers. She didn’t want you telling others about it. Just the idea that she did something like that could ruin her reputation and possibly her life. Of course she was probably more worried about what it would do to you.”

Ko grew quite shame-faced before he glanced up at her. “What would it do exactly?” He wondered. “I still don’t understand. I mean I can stick to the rules and I understand why humans made them but what makes...connecting...such a huge deal?”

She laughed lightly at that. “Sex Education 101 for Typhons. Who would have thought?” She offered before becoming serious again. “Sex is more than just the mechanics of sticking your genitals into a female Ko. Intimacy at that level is a very profound and emotional experience. You’re literally giving a part of yourself to another person.”

“Fluid exchange yes. I read about that.” Ko agreed.

“That’s part of it but you need to understand what else goes into it.” Danielle explained. “Normally intimacy is done between people who care about each other very much and want to express that caring, that love, and that desire for each other in the most powerful way possible. It’s not simply exchanging fluids to create new offspring…some people say it feels like you’re giving a part of your soul to that person. I don’t know about that, of course, but regardless it creates an extremely powerful connection between the two. An emotional and mental bonding that grows stronger the more the two come together in that way. The pair make themselves completely vulnerable to each other and the ecstasy they feel is one of the most powerful things a human can experience, if not the most powerful.”

Danielle sat back with a slight sigh. “Do you understand now?” She asked.

Ko’s eyes held a distant stare as he contemplated all this new information before he blinked, focusing his thoughts. A moment later he nodded. 

“I think I do.” He replied. “That complex ball of emotions and desires I felt...it’s starting to make more sense now. All those things are part of that coming together.” He shook his head. “I never realized it could be that complicated.”

Danielle nodded. “Lots of things in life are complicated but love and intimacy most of all.”

“So...what do I do?” He asked her. “How do I make this up to her?”

“I’m sure she knows you didn’t understand what you were offering.” Danielle said. “Just apologize to her and talk it out with her when you can in private.”

Ko nodded before giving her a quiet smile. “Thanks.”

Danielle smiled. “No problem you pervy Typhon. Now come on, we have studying to do.”

Ko couldn’t help but chuckle at that.

* * *

_Several hours later…_

“My insides feel like they want to run away.” Ko remarked nervously as he and Danielle walked down the corridors of the station after completing their daily lesson, their destination being Mikhaila’s room.

“Not surprising.” Danielle remarked. “But I know Mikhaila and I know she’ll forgive you for it. I think she’s becoming rather fond of you.” She suggested.

“I hope so.” Ko replied wistfully.

“Well, this is where I leave you.” She said as they arrived at Mikhaila’s door. “If you need to talk to me for some reason afterwards you know where I’ll be.” She offered.

Ko nodded. “Thanks.”

Nodding Danielle stepped away and made her way back down the hall leaving Ko to face the closed door. Trying to calm his squirming insides he transformed into his new human body, clothing himself in a dark grey tee shirt and black jeans, somehow feeling the colors to be rather appropriate. Sighing he knocked quietly on the door.

A moment later it swished open to reveal Mikhaila, dressed in a plain tan shirt and sweat pants. She blinked in surprise at seeing him. “Ko…”

“May I come in?” He asked respectfully, seeing her aura spiking slightly.

She gazed at him for a moment before nodding.

She stepped away from the door and sat down on the bed, the door shutting behind him. He stood before her, clasping his hands nervously, his face tense and his mind suddenly blank, wondering what he could possibly say to her.

Seeing his obvious anxiousness she patted the bed next to her. “Come sit.”

Nodding he sat down silently, his eyes pleading with her.

“This is about last night.” She suggested quietly.

Ko nodded unhappily. “Danielle explained what I did wrong. I’m sorry. I...I didn’t mean to...to scare you or invade your privacy like that. I thought...Alex said we needed to practice with my ability to see and experience memories and...I thought…” He sighed, hanging his head. “I’m sorry I messed up and...offered myself to you like that.” He said remorsefully.

A moment later he felt her hand rest gently on his shoulder. Looking up he saw her gazing at him sympathetically. “You didn’t understand.”

He shook his head. “I thought it was okay to just look really quick...to get the answers I needed...and I didn’t know about...well...what being intimate really meant. I didn’t even think about it that way.” He explained in a rush. “I just wanted to make you happy and let you do what you wanted to do. I’m sorry!” 

Mikhaila leaned forward and hugged him firmly for a moment. “It’s alright Ko.” She said soothingly. “I should have said something or explained better instead of letting myself get flustered like that.” 

He let out a heavy sigh as he looked up at her in relief, shivering pleasantly at her soothed tone. “Thank you.” He murmured.

She gave him a quiet smile. “I knew what you were trying to do last night. I just...you shocked me when I realized you were reading my mind and I reacted without thinking. After that everything just sort of snowballed before I could get a chance to calm down and analyze the situation.” She let out a considering laugh. “I didn’t think I could be shocked after everything that’s happened in my life but you managed it.”

“All it took was a naked Typhon in your room?” He ventured with a small smile.

She smiled softly at that. “No...all it took was an innocent young man willing to trust me completely. You don’t know how precious that is Ko. I don’t think anyone’s ever trusted me like that.” 

Ko’s face became slightly flushed at the praise as he ducked his head slightly. “I know...I know that you would never hurt me. You said I’d be safe with you. Do you remember? From the other night?”

Mikhaila nodded.

Ko’s insides writhed furiously inside of him, afraid that what he was going to say next would ruin the forgiveness he had just received but he pushed on anyway. Danielle’s explanation that morning had opened his eyes and he needed to speak his feelings openly, now that he finally understood them. “Mikhaila...please don’t be angry or scared but I need...I need to say this…” He pleaded softly.

She looked at him carefully before nodding. “I promise to listen and be calm.”

Ko nodded, pushing himself mentally forward. “Ever since you came to my room that night...I felt a...a connection to you.” He explained haltingly. “I could hear a little of what you were thinking. I realized what you needed to feel back then...what I needed to to do help you. It...it hasn’t happened since then but it’s how I knew to do what I did.” He said as he carefully reached up to cup her cheek with his hand to remind her, making her twitch slightly in surprise. “That hasn’t happened with anyone else. Then, when I asked if I was innocent and you told me ‘yes’...just hearing you say it the way you did, just like when I first came out of the sim…I felt something come over me, something I never felt before but that connection...it got stronger.” 

He stared into her eyes and she could see longing there as he continued to pour out his heart to her as he dropped his hand to rest it in his lap. “Then you held me when I cried...told me I was safe with you. You saved me when I came out of the sim and you keep saving me Mikhaila. When I looked into your mind last night and saw all the things you wanted to do...I felt what you felt. Danielle explained everything this morning and I finally understand. I get why you wouldn’t want to...connect with me but...I want to connect with you! How could I deny you something like that when you’ve done so much for me already?” He asked passionately. 

Mikhaila stared at him in surprise before smiling sweetly as she hugged him again. “You’re so young.” She sighed. “I’d almost forgotten what it was like to be young like that. To be so open and frank about how you feel...to put your heart into everything you do and say and truly mean it.” She pulled back slightly to face him again. “You don’t need to repay me for what I did Ko, I did those things willingly and I would happily do them again.”

“It’s not repayment!” He insisted softly. “I want...I want to give you what you gave me! I saw a glimpse of what coming together was like and I’d never felt anything so powerful and amazing before! I want to share that with you!”

Mikhaila gripped his shoulders. “Ko...you need to understand that it’s not something you just give away.” She insisted gently. “I know you saw a hint of something amazing and you want to share it with me, to give me something beautiful and wonderful, and you have no idea how much I appreciate that sentiment. But you need to take a step back. I’m flattered that you feel the way you feel about me but what I did doesn’t deserve that kind of commitment or devotion. You don’t give yourself to someone like that just because they’re kind to you, Ko. You’ve never had someone take care of you and hold you when you’re vulnerable. Yes I think you’re very attractive and yes a part of me would like to...touch you like that but...I can’t. Simple human kindness isn’t worth something so precious.” She explained softly.

Ko deflated a bit in disappointment. “I think it’s worth it. But even if that’s too much I wish I could give you something back though...something to show you how much...how much I...”

“You think you love me Ko but you’ve only known me for a short time.” Mikhaila said. “You’re enamored with me because of how I’ve treated you and you want to give me my heart’s desire. But Ko, you’re not ready for that yet. Take time to get to know me. Let things progress for a while and see where they lead. You might find that what you feel now will fade, and that’s alright. But it’s not just about you, I would need to feel that way about you as well before we could share something like that and I don’t feel the same way.”

Her heart clenched at seeing his heart-broken look before she cupped his face gently. “Maybe I will in time Ko but right now...right now I’m your teacher and your friend. Someone you can lean on when the world gets to be too heavy. Be happy with that for the moment. Who knows...one day maybe we will share that special coming together you want so badly. But we have to make that choice together.”

She saw hope burning in his eyes as he smiled slightly. “I hope we will.” He said softly. “I know this might fade but right now I can’t think of anyone else I’d want to do it with.”

Mikhaila laughed lightly for a moment. “That’s because you haven’t met many women Ko. You only know me, Danielle, and Sarah. Like I said, give it time and we’ll see where things go.”

Ko nodded and was about to stand up before a memory surfaced from Morgan’s past, a moment the two of them had shared when they had been together. He took a second to consider the idea before giving her a hesitant look. “Can I...can I give you one thing for the kindness you’ve shown me?”

Mikhaila looked at him carefully before nodding.

Letting the memory and his instincts guide him he reached up to cup her cheek with a hand as he leaned forward, pursing his lips carefully before pressing them gently against hers in a soft kiss. The tender sensations and rush of emotions it created in him nearly overwhelmed him but he forced himself to focus. He felt Mikhaila shiver in surprise as she felt his lips press against her mouth before she kissed him back softly. A second later he forced himself to pull back gently, not wanting to upset her again or become lost in the whirlpool of desire swirling inside him, before giving her a grateful smile.

“Thank you!” He said with soft sincerity. 

Mikhaila smiled tenderly, touching her lips with her fingertips as she watched him stand, his eyes shining brightly as he returned her smile.

A moment later he left her to return to his room. It was quite some time before the smile left her face.


	10. Chapter 9

“He kissed you?!” Danielle asked in a hushed exclamation as she and Mikhaila sat in the commissary early the next morning, eating breakfast at one of the tables.

Mikhaila glanced about furtively but fortunately the room was largely empty at this hour with no one nearby.

“It was just a brief, short kiss, but yes.” Mikhaila admitted.

Danielle chortled softly at this. “Oh he is crushing on you so hard! He was ready to let you touch his--” 

“I know!” Mikhaila exclaimed in embarrassment before resting her forehead against her hand as she leaned forward. “It’s so weird! I’m old enough to be his mother but when he kissed me…”

“You felt like you were a teenager experiencing your first kiss again?” Danielle said knowingly with a smile. “You know, technically, he could be millions of years old depending how long it took him to get to our region of space.” Danielle teased.

Mikhaila swatted her arm. “Stop it!” She remonstrated in exasperation. “God, why am I feeling like this? It’s silly and stupid and--”

“It’s adorable.” Danielle interrupted gently. “You have a handsome young man pining after you because you’re his first crush. It makes you feel young again. But more than that…” Her face took on a more serious look. “You haven’t been with a man in a long time have you?” She asked.

“Danielle!” Mikhaila hissed in outrage at the sensitive question.

“I’m not trying to tease you, I’m being totally serious.” Danielle replied earnestly. “Because of everything from trying to find your father and keeping your work record spotless to stay on Talos 1 you never got the chance to get close to someone besides Morgan. I’m sure your illness didn’t help either.” 

Mikhaila grimaced at the reminder. “Just before he kissed me...he touched my face the way Morgan used to when we first started being serious. I hope his crush isn’t just some leftover memories from Morgan he’s just blindly following.”

Danielle pondered this for a few moments before she spoke. “They might have been the spark to start it but think about what he said. He’s passionate about you like a teenager would be, not a grown man like Morgan was. I honestly think he’s sincere rather than modeling something he remembers Morgan doing.”

“He kissed me like Morgan did too.” Mikhaila replied with some reservation.

Daniele grinned at this. “Well maybe he got a few pointers on how to go about it but getting back to my original point, you may be a grown woman but you still have needs Mikhaila and right now Ko is offering you everything you could want. Plus it’s almost like a teen romance novel, the awkward teenager learning about romance and his best friend who helps guide him through the pitfalls.”

“I’m not going to...I shouldn’t do that!” Mikhaila insisted.

“Why not?” Danielle asked.

“It’s not right!” Mikhaila complained. “I feel like I’d be taking advantage of him!”

“But you’re not and you won’t.” Danielle replied firmly. “And I know you won’t because you’re this worried about it. You’re not a stupid teenager with raging hormones you’re a grown woman with a firm grasp of herself. Look at it this way, he needs to learn these sorts of things anyway if he’s going to be properly socialized. He needs to understand about human relationships and how they work if he’s going to be on Earth for any length of time. You might as well show him what it’s like so he has some experience. I’m not talking about taking him to your bed but just how people who are close act around each other. Familiar touches and hugs, maybe a kiss on the cheek now and then. But also you need to coach him on what not to do. He barely has any idea and he’s going to be around the crew any day now. You don’t want him to get too touchy-feely with them do you?”

Mikhaila groaned softly at this. “I feel like we need another six months before letting him walk around if he needs to learn proper social behavior!”  
  
Danielle smiled encouragingly at the Russian woman. “Ko’s a fast learner and he knows the basics already. Just...let things happen like you told him Mikhaila. If it happens it could be a wonderful thing for both of you. If not, then so be it. But don’t refuse him just on principle.” 

Mikhaila sighed heavily as she glanced up at Danielle, her mind churning before she finally nodded. “Alright, I’ll teach him what he needs to know and give...whatever this is a chance to see where this all goes.”

The Asian woman gave her another teasing smile. “Hey, just imagine, you play your cards right you might get to have sex with an actual alien one day. Of course we’d have to record it for science...”

“DANIELLE! AARRGGHHH!” Mikhaila cried in frustration.

The other woman could only laugh at that.

* * *

_Later that morning…_

Ko’s door swished open as Alex entered with his breakfast. Looking up Ko blinked mildly in surprise at the meat and vegetable omelet Alex carried on the tray, setting it down next to him at the table.

“I figured you would enjoy trying the real thing after experiencing my memory of it.” Alex explained as he eased himself into the chair next to him. “If nothing else we can do more tests on your sense of taste and see whether human food is actually nourishment for you.”

“Doubtful to both but I appreciate the thought.” Ko replied idly, picking up the fork on the tray.

Alex watched as the hybrid cut off a piece and guided it to an orifice he created, engulfing it a moment later. Ko cocked his head slightly at this before taking another bite and absorbing it as well.

“Well?” Alex asked curiously.

“I can identify the different tastes and textures to an extent but I actually had to create a tongue and palate inside of my head to actually distinguish them. Otherwise it’s just breaking down solid matter, no difference between that and any other material. Without the right sensory organs I could be eating plastic and it wouldn’t taste much different.” Ko replied.

“Could you break down plastic?” Alex wondered.

“Technically I don’t have what you would call a digestive system so I don’t have anything to break it down with unless I somehow created a stomach with acid.” Ko replied as he shifted into his new human form with a blue button down shirt and tan slacks.

“Point.” Alex agreed idly before he blinked at the new face on the Typhon. “This is new.” He said in mild surprise. “I suppose Mikhaila finally found a new face for you to wear?”

Ko smiled a bit timidly at that. “Yeah...yeah she did.” He admitted before focusing on the food. “Are there psychostimulants in this?”

Alex nodded. “There are. We didn’t expect this to do much for you, if anything, so we injected some in there. We’re still working on finding a way to get you more ‘solid’ meals.”

“Without eating someone’s mind.” Ko said with a sigh. 

Alex nodded. “Right. During this morning’s conference Mikhaila mentioned that some socialization training might be good before you actually met the crew. I admit I hadn’t considered it a priority but I should have, considering I work with people all day. I know you’re anxious to move around the station but you’re also nervous about the crew’s reaction to you so we’ll practice some basic interactions to make sure you’ve got them down. You’re actually doing quite well already so this shouldn’t take long.” Alex informed him.

Kobalt nodded, trying to avoid thinking about his social blunders with Mikhaila. “Makes sense.”

“Let’s start with something practical first.” Alex suggested as Ko continued eating. “Humans respond positively to those who act confident or sure of themselves. Nervousness, meekness, hesitation are considered signs of weakness and people tend to look down on those who display those traits. Obviously the crew aren’t predators looking to eat you but how you act around them will be a factor in their first impression of you and you don’t get a second chance to make a good first impression.”

Ko nodded. “So act like I’m part of the group.”

“Act like you belong here because quite frankly you do belong here. Everything we’ve done up to this point is to ensure the success of Project Cobalt, even if it was something as simple as keeping the station clean or general maintenance. At the same time it’s good to let the crew know you appreciate what they do. Everyone wants to feel important, Ko. That’s a basic lesson about humans. We all want to feel special or important in some way. Acknowledge people and what they do Ko, and they will appreciate you all the more.”

Ko nodded, committing Alex’s words to memory. “Is that how you’ve been able to keep Talos 1 going?”

Alex smiled. “Well part of it is the fact that we’re relatively safe up here compared to Earth but yes, positive reinforcement and appreciation go a long way as well. Any business leader worth his salt knows that.”

Ko shook his head. “Human expressions are so weird.” He remarked as he finished his food, setting the plate aside. 

A moment later Alex held out a hand. “Another part of acting confident is how you shake hands with someone. You took my hand when you came out of the sim to confirm your willingness to work with us. Do it again.”

Ko reached forward and grasped Alex’s hand, noting with a bit of satisfaction that it was a fully human arm instead of just a human forearm attached to a Typhon body.

“When meeting people for the first time you want to give a firm handshake without actually squeezing too hard.” Alex explained. “That implies confidence and firm resolve without actually trying to be dominant or overbearing. Keep putting more pressure into the handshake, I’ll tell you when it gets uncomfortable so you know when to stop. Obviously people with thinner or more delicate hands don’t need as much pressure.”

“I never thought a handshake would be complicated.” Kobalt remarked as he slowly squeezed harder until Alex held up his other hand a few moments later. “Just starting to get uncomfortable so it wasn’t painful yet. Make a note of how it feels, how much pressure you’re using and so on.”

Ko nodded for a moment before releasing Alex’s hand and trying again.

“Better this time.” Alex nodded. 

After a few more practice handshakes Alex nodded. “I think you’ve got it down. Next thing to work on is how you talk to people and what to talk about. Obviously in the beginning it’s going to be a little awkward because of who and what you are but you can at least get the crew to talk about themselves.”

“Making them feel important.” Ko noted.

Alex nodded. “Exactly. People like to know someone is interested in them and their lives, even if it’s just polite conversation. Every human being has family, things they like to do for fun or things they find exciting or stimulating. Igwe and his passion for Leitner’s piano compositions are an example. He could talk for hours about it if you let him. Same thing with other people. Ask them about their work and what it entails. Those are some good questions to start with. You can always ask about the things they tell you about if you’re curious.”

“What do you think they’ll ask me?” Ko asked hesitantly. “I’m...well I’m a alien. I don’t have any of those things and I can’t really relate to them like that.”

Alex nodded soberly. “Like I said, it will be somewhat awkward at first, trying to find common ground, but they know that. Eventually as you cultivate relationships between the crew you’ll be able to relate more with them. At the moment you might tell them about what you’ve been learning. They might also ask you some personal questions like what it’s like being an alien around humans or what it was like in the simulation. Don’t be offended if they ask some probing questions, they want to know about you as much as you want to know about them.”

Kobalt considered that for several moments. “They don’t think I’m an enemy then?” He asked carefully.

Alex gave him a comforting smile. “I won’t lie, some of them may still think that way but I don’t believe they’ll actually try to harm you. Most of the crew are cautious but optimistic about all this.”

Alex saw some of the tension leave the hybrid’s shoulders before he frowned thoughtfully. “Is there anything I shouldn’t do?”

Alex raised an eyebrow in amusement at this, making the creature sigh in annoyance. “Besides eating them I mean.”

Alex shrugged. “I wouldn’t suggest transforming back into your normal form unless they ask you specifically to do so. Even then I would take it slow to avoid scaring people. Don’t use any of your abilities yet, either. We want everyone to get used to the idea of you being...well more ‘human’ for lack of a better word. The crew is multinational so they all have their notions of things like appropriate personal space and how to socialize but you’ll have to figure that out as you go. I’m sure they won’t be too offended if you make some kind of simple social gaffe. Just remember, if they look at you oddly or act offended, just apologize and ask them to explain what bothered them. They’ll understand.”

“Good to know.” Ko sighed quietly. 

* * *

Ko slowly made his way down the hallway towards the monitoring station, beyond it the doors leading to the rest of Talos 1. His entire body felt tense and he knew that given the choice he would prefer to remain in his room or at least the isolated section of the station. Even boring studies were preferable to what he was going to face now, despite all of Alex’s assurances that everything would go well.

Danielle had come by earlier to give him some suggestions on what kind of outfit to wear, claiming that while the button down shirts and pants he had been wearing were fine he needed to have a bit more variety when creating coverings for himself. She had made him shift between several different kinds of outfits from the simple to the fairly outlandish before he finally settled on a simple white tee shirt along with a pair of blue jeans, giving him a more earth-y and back to basics look. Elazar had also paid him a brief visit saying that if there were any problems he could call her on his Transcribe and she would be down right away. As he neared the doorway Mikhaila stepped out of the room, resting a hand on his shoulder to stop him. She gave him a quick once over before smiling. 

“You look different.” She remarked pleasantly.

Ko smiled quietly at her. “Yeah. Danielle had me trying on a lot of outfits. I finally couldn’t take any more and just went with this.”

“I was watching the two of you on the monitors. It was adorable how she made you play dress up.” Mikhaila smiled. “Ready for your big debut?”

“Well it’s not like there’s a crowd waiting outside those doors, at least I hope not.” Kobalt remarked reservedly. “I’m hoping I can just walk around and observe for a little bit...just watch people go about their day.”

Mikhaila snickered at that. “A teenager on a station full of professionals and scientists? You won’t go unnoticed for long Ko. Better to just get it over with. The first time is always the hardest and after that it gets a little easier each time.”

Ko grimaced slightly but nodded. “You’re probably right.”

“Before you go, I wanted to give you something.” Mikhaila told him. “A little pick-me-up to boost your confidence.”

Ko cocked his head curiously before Mikhaila enveloped him in a hug which he returned a moment later.

“You’re going to do fine.” She murmured in his ear with quiet assurance before kissing his cheek softly and stepping back with a smile.

Ko reached up to touch his cheek where she had kissed him, staring silently for a moment before smiling.

“Don’t get any crazy ideas.” She insisted with a smile of her own. “This doesn’t mean we’re a couple.”

“What does it mean then?” Ko asked softly as he dropped his hand.

“It means I’m open to the possibility.” Mikhaila admitted. “Like I told you before, let’s see what happens.”

Ko’s smile was bright enough to light a room, his blue eyes shining as Mikhaila waved him on with a quiet giggle. “Go on, you pervy Typhon. Make some friends.”

Ko rolled his eyes at that, silently glad he could actually do so with his own pair of eyes for once. “You’ve been spending too much time with Danielle.” 

“You’re the one who wanted to get all touchy-feely.” Mikhaila retorted teasingly.

Ko sighed as he walked past her. “I’m never going to live that down am I?” He asked in resignation.

“Nope.” Mikhaila replied cheerfully.

Ko shook his head with a mix of amused exasperation and playfulness flowing through his mind. He had to admit, he did feel less tense than before and the fact that Mikhaila had not only kissed him but had been willing to let things progress between them gave him newfound energy and excitement. Smiling, he placed his hands on the doors and pushed them open, revealing the connecting hallway of Talos 1 before walking forward, Mikhaila watching him depart.

_Like watching a child go off to his first day of school._ She mused with a quiet smile on her face. _Let’s hope it goes well._

* * *

_One thing’s for sure._ Ko considered as he made his way through the halls. _Alex was right about them not wasting money on the decorations. There isn’t a golden winged lion statue in sight._

The section of the station in which he had been housed was sandwiched between the Neuromod and Psychotronics division opposite the shuttle bay. When he had followed Mikhaila and the others back to their quarters they had taken lesser used side corridors and utility tunnels for the most part instead of walking directly through the various sections as he had been forced to do in the sim. He had been glad of the alternate route as he was far less likely to encounter the crew there but he had also thought that the utilitarian look was due to simply being in the industrial sections of the station and that the main thoroughfares would be more appealing to the eye. However, in this he was quite wrong. While the layout of the floors were virtually identical as far as he could tell, the decor was quite different. Gone were the lavish art deco statues, paintings, and old-fashioned luxury furniture. Even the walls were muted drab colors done in drywall rather than the sumptuous marble panelling with gold chasing or rich wood. 

He made his way through the mostly empty shuttle bay and up the gravity elevator to the lobby of the space station before looking around. While the room itself was still expansive with several floors of height, the far wall was completely different. Unlike the massive windows that displayed Earth and the galaxy beyond in the sim, the exterior wall was entirely solid though an attempt had been made to make the room welcoming with various murals painted along it. 

_Makes sense I suppose._ Ko mused. _One busted window from a micrometeor and the whole area depressurizes. Not exactly something I had time to think about in the sim._

Looking out into the room he tensed as he saw various crew members walking about from the main lift to the various departments. Taking a deep breath to steady himself he slowly walked forward toward the front desk that was manned by a crew member typing into the computer on the desk. As he approached the desk he tried to think of a way to introduce himself but his mind refused to cooperate, remaining firmly blank despite the coaching the others had given him. The brown-haired and rather plain-looking man looked up a moment later, blinking in confusion at Ko’s unorthodox outfit and unexpected arrival.

“Can...I help you?” The man asked with a hint of confusion.

“I...uh...just came up from the shuttle bay.” Ko explained awkwardly.

Frowning in confusion the man examined his screen. “Odd, we weren’t expecting any arrivals and the shuttle bay didn’t notify me anyone had arrived.” He said, looking back at Ko a bit more suspiciously.

“Umm...yeah well I didn’t really talk to anyone down there, it was pretty empty.” Ko fidgeted. “I uh...I’m Ko by the way.” He offered with an uneasy smile.

“Joel.” The man replied with a frown, looking Ko up and down before he blinked. “Wait a moment...are you…Did Dr. Yu send you up here?”

“Ah...yeah he...uh...he did.” Ko replied. “Or rather I...well I decided to come up and he was fine with it. My...uh...my full name is Kobalt.”

Joel stilled, his eyes flicking across Ko’s body swiftly. “Ah...I see.” He said hesitantly, apparently at a loss for words. “So you’re...umm…”

Ko gave him a half-smile of depreciation. “Yeah. Sorry this is...well...awkward for me too. I uh...I haven’t met anyone besides Alex and the others yet.”

Joel forced himself to take a deep calming breath before he nodded. “Alex...er Dr. Yu did say that you would be making an appearance fairly soon but he didn’t say when so...well we didn’t know when you would show up.” He admitted.

Ko nodded. “Yeah I...well I didn’t make up my mind until yesterday.” He leaned against the desk, lowering his head a bit. “Frankly I feel like running back down there right now.” He muttered quietly. “So much for good first impressions.” He sighed.

The humble admission brought a slight smile to the man’s lips as he observed the anxious hybrid. He, like all the others on the station, had been receiving periodic updates from Dr. Yu regarding the status of Project Cobalt. While details had been sparse they had been assured that the Typhon’s empathy integration had gone well and that he had performed admirably in the simulation, saving as many of the crew as he could while eliminating the outbreak. Few other details had emerged after confirming the project an initial success but the notification that he would be joining the crew had made them nervous, especially considering how quickly it was to happen. While they had faith in Dr. Yu and the others many worried just what would emerge from the closed off section of the station. There had been speculation aplenty but no one had really known for sure. The fact that a Typhon was standing there acting like a shy human teenager as well as looking just like one was almost mind-blowing considering their prior encounters with the alien species. Even so, there was a seed of doubt in his mind that refused to be quashed.

“Could you...could you show me what you really look like?” Joel requested, hoping he wasn’t being insensitive as he glanced about the room, seeing a few others pausing to focus on the newcomer curiously.

The teen looked up at him and he could see a flash of fear in the young man’s eyes. 

“You sure?” Ko asked nervously. “I’d rather not be shot at if I can help it.”

Joel considered this for a moment. “I think I have a way to help with that.” He said before activating the local intercom system next to him. “Attention all crew.” He said clearly into the device. “Be advised that the ‘guest of honor’ has arrived and is currently at the front desk of the lobby. Please make sure to extend him every courtesy as he tours the facility.” He said before turning off the device. “Hopefully that makes things easier.” He offered.

Ko smiled slightly. “Thanks. I’ll...ah...take it slow.” He said, recalling Mikhaila’s suggestion.

As Joel and the others around the room watched the young man slowly grew taller and more bulky before his skin and clothes became as black as the void. His hands grew into long claws and his eyes multiplied, becoming white circles on a misshapen head. A moment later and a tall Typhon similar to a Phantom stood before the desk, its eyes shifting back and forth.

“Pleasure to meet you once again.” It said in a quiet but rough and static-filled voice. “I’m Kobalt. With a ‘K’.”

Joel could feel his body turning cold at the sight of the creature before him, his instincts demanding that he run away as fast as possible. Forcing himself to remain still he made himself smile at the creature. “Ah...pleasure to meet you once again.” He murmured.

_Ko’s POV…_

The man was frightened, they all were.

He hadn’t wanted to shift into his normal form so soon but he could hardly deny the man’s request. He got the sense the man wanted proof of what he was seeing and not just some teenager who somehow ended up here on accident, as impossible as that was. So he had shifted carefully and slowly before introducing himself once again to try and re-establish the slight connection he had made.

It wasn’t working.

Their auras were spiking and he could practically smell the fear coming from Joel even though he was putting on a brave face and smiling back. They didn’t see an intelligent creature with empathy who was just as scared as they were, they only saw the black monstrosity that could tear them apart with ease. The sense of defeat and grief filling him nearly made him flee back down the elevator but he forced himself to stay before slowly shifting back to his human form. He couldn’t express himself properly as a Typhon but hopefully a human face would…

Joel watched as the Typhon shifted back into his human form before leaning against the desk. The relief he felt was swiftly snatched away as he saw the defeated and unhappy look on the teen’s face. 

He knew. Joel realized in dismay. No matter how he had tried to hide it the Typhon had sensed his fear regardless. What surprised him was that rather than being angry, as he might have expected, the young man before him looked as though he had just been stabbed with a knife.

I suppose in a way he was. Joel considered, his fear swiftly replaced with shame. Looking around the others were watching silently as well, their eyes wary and distrustful. Someone needs to do something or this is never going to work. 

“I’m...I’m sorry. I’ll...try this again another time.” Ko muttered dejectedly as he turned and began walking back towards the lift.

“Wait!” Joel cried, stretching out a hand before he realized what he was saying. Seeing the hybrid pause he moved around the desk to walk over to him. Facing Ko he held out a hand.

“I’m sorry about...about my reaction. I’m Joel Weeks, the guest services coordinator. Pleased to meet you Kobalt.” He said with quiet sincerity.

Ko gazed at him for a moment before smiling in relief and taking his hand, shaking it carefully.


	11. Chapter 10

Ko felt himself nearly go limp with relief as he shook Joel’s hand. Moments before he had been ready to give up and retreat back to his room in defeat but thankfully the man had stepped up and taken a chance with him. As he looked around he noticed the auras of the others in the room had begun to calm somewhat though they still looked at him with reservations. Noting his concerned look Joel looked about at the others before grimacing a bit.

“Sorry for the cold reception.” He said. “Why don’t I give you a tour and we can meet some of the crew.” He suggested. “It might help if you have someone with you.” 

Ko looked and felt quite relieved at that. “I would really appreciate that.” 

“Right. Come on then.” He said before gesturing for Ko to follow him before walking over to a slim-faced brunette with dark eyes, dressed in a suit whose colors matched that of the Neuromod division. 

“Ko, this is Alice Aiken, one of our neural mappers in Neuromod.” He said. “Alice, this is Kobalt.” 

“Glad to meet you.” Ko said hesitantly with a nervous smile, holding out a hand. 

The woman looked him over for a moment before carefully taking his hand and shaking it, though her grip was rather loose. “Nice to meet you too.” She replied a bit formally as she quickly took back her hand. 

“We’re gonna get a lot of this, I can tell.” Joel sighed. 

“So...what does a neural mapper do?” Ko asked, trying to converse with her as the others had prompted him to. 

“I’m sorry I’d love to stay and chat but I’m rather busy.” She explained in a faux apologetic tone. “I’ll see you around.” She said before quickly walking away towards the lift. 

Both Ko and Joel looked rather disappointed at her hasty retreat. 

“Sorry about that.” Joel apologized. “Maybe we should try the lounge instead.” 

The pair ascended the staircase off to the side of the room, making their way to the lounge. As they entered the room with a few people sitting here and there Ko blinked as he recognized a familiar face from the simulation. 

“Dr. Bellamy.” He muttered in surprise. 

The brown-haired, slightly gaunt-faced man was sitting at a table sipping a cup of coffee and looking over a data pad. 

_Could someone get me a cup of coffee? I would appreciate it. Thank you._ Bellamy’s words from the sim during the Neuromod testing bubbled up from his mind, making him smile a bit. “At least he’s consistent.” Ko remarked quietly. “Always with the coffee.” 

Joel looked at him curiously. “I didn’t know he was that big a coffee drinker.” He offered as they approached the man. 

Bellamy glanced up as the two approached him. 

“Dr. Bellamy.” Ko offered respectfully as Joel took a step back. “Pleasure to meet you. I’m Kobalt.” 

Bellamy’s eyes lit up with recognition as he smiled in excitement, shaking Ko’s hand firmly. “Well, well! So we finally get to meet Morgan’s, or should I say Alex’s, protege. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.” He said pleasantly. 

Ko felt comfortable warmth filling him hearing Bellamy’s welcoming tone. “I uh...I met you before, in a way.” He began. “In the simulation…” 

The man took on a thoughtful expression for a moment before he nodded. “Ah yes, the Neuromod testing in the beginning. They had me do the voice acting for that part. Easiest acting gig I’ll ever have to do, playing myself.” He chuckled. “I believe I was killed by a coffee mug if I recall correctly.” 

“A Typhon acting like a mug but yes.” Ko offered. 

“Alas coffee...my one weakness. Always knew it would be the death of me one day.” He joked quietly, glancing at his half-full mug with a stern look as if daring it to transform in front of him before looking back at Ko with an easy smile. 

Ko laughed quietly. “I get the feeling that scene was intentional, now that you say that.” 

Bellamy laughed quietly at that. “No doubt they were trying to tell me something but I remain firmly entrenched in my coffee-drinking ways. But enough about me and this swill, this is your big day, or one of them anyway from what I hear. How does it feel to finally be out and about?” 

“Rather nerve-wracking to be honest.” Ko replied with a grimace. “Joel asked me to transform for him and I ended up spooking everyone in the lobby.” 

Bellamy nodded seriously at this. “Yes, you will find that people are rather jumpy around here I’m afraid. Not that I blame them of course. I was one of the luckier ones. As I interacted a lot with Morgan I was near him when the Typhon outbreak started. He led me and several others into a safe room he had constructed for his own use and probably Alex as well in the event of a hull breach or other serious disaster. I didn’t see him after that and by the time it was over…well let’s say we had a lot of other priorities to focus on. 

Ko grimaced at that. ”Alex never told you where Morgan was?” 

Bellamy shrugged. “I never did get a straight answer out of him besides some vague assurances he was fine. Considering all the...cleanup that was needed I finally stopped asking.” 

A scene flashed across the hybrid’s mind unbidden of Bellamy moving a trolley covered with inky-stained shrouds. His insides twisted uncomfortably at the thought, guilt slowly creeping through him before Mikhaila’s voice whispered through his mind, banishing the feeling. 

_Am I...am I innocent?_

_...YES..._

Taking a deep breath he gazed at Bellamy’s sadly reflective face before resting a hand on the man’s shoulder. “I don’t remember anything before the simulation but I know what I did in the sim and what’s expected of me.” He said gravely. “I’ll do everything I can to help and to make things better.” 

The man blinked up at him before smiling warmly, breaking the mournful pall that had fallen over them. 

“I appreciate that, I really do.” Bellamy said. “Just hearing you say that proves my faith in Alex and Morgan wasn’t misplaced. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cast a shadow on our discussion, I know everyone here has had it just as bad as me, if not worse. At least I was somewhere safe for the most part. Most of the others weren’t. I hope you manage to meet more people who are friendly like me. Just keep in mind that everyone here has been through a lot so it may take time for them to warm up to you. Try not to take it personally.” He suggested. 

Ko nodded at that. “I appreciate it. Thank you Dr. Bellamy.” 

“Please, call me Sylvain. If you ever want to talk I certainly won’t mind, assuming I’m not too busy. You have a Transcribe, right?” 

Ko nodded, displaying his. 

“Excellent, then you should be able to find me fairly easily or just call if you want to chat.” 

He glanced at his chronometer before sighing and standing. “Well, time to get back to work. It was nice meeting you Kobalt.” 

“The same...Sylvain.” Ko replied a bit awkwardly. 

Bellamy smiled before walking out of the lounge with his datapad, the coffee cup still on the table. Ko watched the man go before glancing back at the cup. 

“I wish I could taste it.” He said a bit wistfully. 

“What?” Joel asked. 

“Coffee.” Ko shrugged. “It seems like a wonderful drink but I don’t have any taste buds that would let me enjoy it. If I tried to drink it all I would taste is warm, bland liquid.” 

“That’s a shame.” Joel remarked. “I never thought about that. So you can’t taste food either huh?” He asked as they walked through the lounge. 

Ko shook his head. “I just get consistency and texture really. To be honest normal food wouldn’t do anything for me.” 

“What do you eat?” Joel asked. 

Ko paused to look at the man dismally. 

“Oh, right. Forgot for a moment.” Joel apologized. “So...what does Alex give you to eat?” 

“Psychostimulated substances mostly.” Ko replied as they continued walking, exiting the lounge and heading back the way they came. “He’s trying to work out something better.” 

He paused for a moment, glancing at the staircase. “Up or down?” 

Joel shrugged. “Why not visit the executive suites first?” He offered with a smile. 

Vaguely curious to see what Morgan’s office actually looked like he shrugged and nodded. Making the trek upstairs they passed Bianca Goodwin’s and Sylvain’s offices, the man’s office thankfully clean and not the wreck it had been in the simulation. Walking by the desk of Morgan’s secretary he suddenly recalled the man’s computer password from the simulation, making him smile at recalling that the man apparently had the hots for Morgan. As they approached Morgan’s closed door Ko examined the control panel. 

_Why not?_ He wondered, punching in the code that allowed him access to the room in the sim. 

To his great surprise the door opened softly. 

“Umm...you go on ahead.” Joel suggested a bit nervously. “I’m not sure I should be walking around in Dr. Yu’s private office, especially since he’s not here.” 

Ko nodded, taking a few steps inside and letting the door close behind him. Looking around, the room was nearly as spartan as the rest of the station with a few rugs on the tile floor and the walls painted a darker brown color to resemble wood instead of sanitized white plaster. A few plants sat here and there in their pots and nearby sat a recycler and a printer alongside a workbench. Walking over to the large desk he examined the computer sitting there. Shrugging he typed in the password that had worked in the sim to unlock it. The screen lit up immediately, allowing him to access various programs including Morgan’s emails. Scrolling through them he found a fair amount of typical messages relating to running various experiments and the overall status of various projects between him and Alex as well as Bellamy. Closing the mailing application he glanced around at the icons on the desktop, one of them entitled ‘WATCH ME’. 

Activating the shortcut he suddenly found the computer loading a video file. He glanced back, half expecting the wall to slide upward to reveal a Looking Glass display but the player opened on the monitor instead. 

A moment later he was looking at Morgan’s haggard face, the stubble on his cheeks more pronounced and his eyes tired. 

“I knew you’d find your way here eventually.” Morgan said with a weary smile. “I would if I had gone through the simulation like you had. That’s why I asked Alex to change the door code and computer password to something you would know. Trust me, it’s not supposed to be that easy to get into my office, nevermind my personal computer. So...I might be talking to myself but it’s possible you chose another face at this point. I’m not sure how much time will have passed between me recording this and when you’ll actually see it, if ever. Assuming, of course, that Project Cobalt is actually successful.” He remarked idly. “I suppose you could be some hacker or random employee who managed to get in decades after I made this but I’m going with the assumption that things went more or less according to plan and I’m talking to one of the subjects from Project Cobalt, if not several.” 

Morgan paused for a second before continuing. “So, why did I make this video? Well there’s a couple reasons. One, I wanted to greet you personally, or as personally as possible, and congratulate you on getting this far since there’s no guarantee I’ll be able to meet you in person. Secondly I wanted you to know that, at the time of this recording at least, I’m still alive. You may be wondering how that’s possible since you have my neurons inside you. The simple answer is that medical science has made great advances, to the point where we can grow new neurons in a lab to replace those that are lost or damaged, at least to some degree, and then graft them in. Unfortunately those lab-grown neurons didn’t take when we tried implanting them into the Cobalt subjects, they were rejected each and every time, which is why my original neurons had to be used. It’s not perfect, of course, there’s a little bit of personality drift but it’s better than permanent brain damage. I know you have a lot of questions you want to ask me, hopefully I’ll be able to answer some of them. If we get to meet in person I’ll be able to answer a lot more.” 

Morgan seemed to gather his thoughts for a moment before continuing. “One of the biggest questions you probably have is how much of the simulation was the truth and how much of it was fabricated. I can tell you that most of the situations you encountered happened at one point or another but there is a significant divergence. The arming keys were already inserted into the power plant in case the final decision had to be made when Dahl and his operators arrived. Alex and I managed to get to him and explain the situation. Fortunately he was only there to lock down the station and prevent the outbreak from spreading to Earth, not murder everyone on the station. At least I don’t think so.” He suggested wryly. “Once he inserted the blueprints for his mil-spec operators and took over the operator printing systems we were able to build enough operators to hunt down and destroy much of the simpler Typhon, keeping the worst of the outbreak at bay. Alex and I spent most of our time researching the Coral and its properties which is how we discovered its function as a kind of localized neural network for the Typhon. Based on the readings we took we were able to design and construct the Nullwave device which was then used to destroy the Apex Typhon as well as the rest. Unfortunately, near as we can figure, some mimics had managed to piggyback or stowaway on a shuttle that was departing for Earth when the outbreak started in earnest. By the time things were under control here Earth was already infected with them and we had no idea they had made it there until reports of aliens started coming in.” 

“So...to get back to my original answer, we originally created the simulation based on a reconstruction of my memories of the events as they played out. However, Alex, myself, and the others you met in the sim spent a great deal of time tweaking and perfecting it before it was used on the first subject. We designed it to require you to make snap judgements about what course of action to take or, in some cases, only giving you a limited window of time in which to make empathetic decisions, something human beings have to do often. Each of them were adjusted slightly to create an ethical or moral quandary you would need to make a decision about. Additionally, appropriate interactions were added to help coach you on what those alternatives were and what the consequences would be. It’s not enough to shove neurons into an alien and expect them to understand what ethics and empathy are, it needs to be taught and within the time frame of the simulation had to be taught quickly. To that end we created ‘teacher’ avatars that could provide those instructional moments when appropriate. January and December were examples of that.” 

“You might be wondering if you made the right choice in the simulation, regarding whether to destroy the station or not. I’m not going to tell you whether the decision you made was the right or wrong one because you’ve already made your own choice. Knowing what I did won’t change what happened in the simulation and you should be willing to stand by the decision you made, not second guess yourself based on what someone else did. Even if it’s me or Alex.” He stated firmly. 

Ko nodded thoughtfully at that as Morgan continued. 

Morgan sat back as he gazed up at the ceiling for a moment in thought. “What else…? The state of Earth at the moment? It’s bad but it’s not hopeless. Humanity is still holding out in fortified bunkers and cities that were far from major population centers. The Coral is just about everywhere but there’s places where the planet is still clean like the ice caps at the poles, various deserts, anyplace there wasn’t a large amount of intelligent life. Once you get Earthside the resistance cells will be able to give you more specific information since things will have changed between now and then. As far as what your ultimate objective will be...well I’m sure Alex explained to you that you’re meant to be a bridge between our two species. We can’t communicate with the Typhon or make them understand the damage their actions cause but you can. You have an understanding of what it means to be human that they can’t comprehend and you also know what it means to be a Typhon, something we barely understand. You’re our mediator, the one that can facilitate an end to their endless harvesting of our minds for their consumption. At least I hope so.” 

Morgan stared at him intently. “If you succeed in this, we will be the first species in countless millennia or even eons that have halted or diverted extinction by the Typhon. If you manage to forge a peace, create cooperation between us, the possibilities are virtually limitless. Imagine what could be...a human being with all their creative potential with the abilities and adaptability of a Typhon. That’s where all this started years ago, when I first went to Alex with the idea. You’ve experienced it in the sim, you’ve felt that power and I have too.” He said seriously. “I know it can be done and I know we have a lot riding on you, but you are quite literally our best and only hope for the future. We won’t steer you wrong, everything we’ve done is to ensure you have everything you might need to achieve your objective. If there’s anything we haven’t given you, ask for it. Insist on it. Because you might only get one chance to broker that peace when the time comes.” 

Morgan sat back with a sigh. “I don’t have much time left to record so I’ll leave you with this. No matter what Alex, or Igwe, or I, or anyone else says, make up your own damn mind and be who you decide to be. Because that will make you greater than anything Alex and I could ever envision.” He said passionately before giving Ko a confident smile. 

“I’ll be waiting for you.” 

The video closed and Ko sat down heavily into the chair. 

_He certainly knows how to talk._ Ko mused to himself. _I suppose it comes with being at the top of the company. Lots of speeches, kind of like Alex._

As he considered what Morgan had told him he frowned slightly in disappointment. He had thought that when he spoke to Morgan the man might have given him all the answers to his questions. While Morgan had definitely confirmed much of what Alex had told him and added a few details Alex had neglected to mention, there weren’t any earth-shattering revelations he didn’t already know either from the sim or what he had learned afterwards. Still, he could hardly blame the man for not answering everything. Morgan most likely had no idea what the test subject he was addressing might know so he had tried to cover the basics in case the test subject was still in the dark about a lot of things. He looked around further on the machine but there was no second video from Morgan that he could see, nor was there a time stamp to indicate when the video had been made or uploaded to the computer. Morgan could have made the video yesterday or five years ago for all he knew. 

_Maybe Alex will know._ He considered as he sat at the desk, musing. _Assuming, of course, he doesn’t act like he did in the sim and wipe out all the videos I wasn’t supposed to see._

Deciding he could learn nothing more about his situation from the computer he locked it before walking back out of the room where Joel was waiting for him. 

“So...back down stairs?” He asked. 

“No place to go but down.” Ko replied with a shrug. 

Making their way down the staircase, Ko decided to investigate the trauma center nearby as he had done so early on the simulation as well. Stepping through the door with Joel at his side he came to the reception desk. Finding it unoccupied they took the left corridor past the offices to the central surgical area. One of the staff, a woman in her thirties with dirty blonde hair, glanced up at them. 

“Can I help you?” She asked. 

“Hi. I wanted to come by and introduce myself.” Ko explained. “My name’s Kobalt.” 

The woman looked thoughtful for a moment before she nodded. “Ah yes, that intercom broadcast a little while ago.” 

“That was me, actually.” Joel explained. “I’m being Ko’s tour guide, so to speak.” 

The woman smiled quietly at that as she walked over. “Well I suppose I should introduce myself. Dr. Elizabeth Bay, I’m one of the general surgeons here.” She said, shaking Ko’s hand. 

“Nice to meet you.” Ko replied with a smile. 

“So you’re touring the facility?” She asked. 

Ko nodded. “In a sense I’ve seen the station before but I never really got to meet anyone.” 

Elizabeth nodded. “Well I might as well introduce you to the staff here, or at least, the staff that’s still here.” She remarked with a grimace. “Anna Goldcrest is our Head Nurse.” She said, gesturing to a young woman with light brown hair and a perky expression. “Chris Wade is our tech.” She said, pointing to a ginger-haired serious man with glasses. “Our counselor Dr. Kohl and our Anaesthesiologist Marc Sellers isn’t here at the moment.” 

“Probably a good thing.” Chris muttered quietly. 

Ko frowned slightly at this as he glanced at the man. “Why?” 

“Let’s just say the outbreak took a personal toll on Marc.” Dr. Bay said with a hint of apology. “He lost someone close to him.” 

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Ko said sincerely. 

Dr. Bay nodded. “Well the trauma center isn’t very large but you can look around if you wish since we aren’t too busy at the moment.” 

“Do you think he should get a physical while he’s here?” Anna asked them. 

Dr. Bay looked at him quizzically. “I suppose we could but it’s up to him. Would we be able to examine him properly?”<br>

“Why wouldn’t you?” Joel asked curiously. 

“Well I’m certainly no expert on Typhon but I would imagine there’s just dark smoke or whatever it is you’re made of under that skin, yes?” Elizabeth asked. 

“I’ve actually been practicing creating organs and various structures to make myself human on the inside as well.” Ko admitted. 

“Really! Are they functional?” Elizabeth asked, intrigued. 

Ko shrugged. “I can make them appear functional though technically they don’t work like normal. I might be able to make lungs or a heart or various other organs and I could probably replicate a nervous system but they wouldn’t really connect to anything.” 

“Interesting.” Elizabeth remarked thoughtfully. 

“Well now we have to examine him, for Science!” Anna pronounced dramatically with a grin. 

“Oh god.” Chris muttered, covering his face with a hand. 

Ko gave the young woman an odd look but found her enthusiasm amusing. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt.” He suggested. 

“May I?” Anna asked Elizabeth with a smile. 

“I suppose you can take the lead on this since it’s your field.” Elizabeth remarked before looking over at Ko. “Though if we are going to do this properly I would like you to come back for a few scans to see just how detailed your replication of the body’s systems are. If nothing else we can offer some pointers on how to improve them.” 

“Why would you be making them anyway?” Joel asked him as they walked over to a comfortable bench against the wall where Anna was standing. “You don’t need them do you?” 

“I might.” Ko said as he sat down on the bench. “I’m eventually going to Earth so I might need to pass myself off as 100% human.” 

“Well I can certainly help with that.” Anna remarked as she collected some equipment from the locker nearby. “We’ll start with the basics first, a general physical to see how you compare to everyone else and make sure everything looks right from the outside.” 

Joel raised an eyebrow at this. “I’ll wait in the reception area for you.” He said. “I get the feeling this might take a while and physicals are supposed to be personal anyway. I’ll go grab something to eat and come back.” 

Ko nodded and Joel walked away, leaving him alone with the medical staff. 

_Maybe I should have come here first before showing off my body to Mikhaila_. He thought ruefully as Anna slid her fingers through his hair. 

“Follicles seem to be the right texture and consistency for your age.” She remarked as she bent his head from side to side. “Facial structure seems fine, no abnormalities. Ears, nose, and eyes all look fine.” 

Taking an otoscope from the wall she activated it and inserted it briefly into both of his ears. “Well you have something that looks like an eardrum but it’s not quite the right color. Needs to be paler.” She remarked. “Does it actually function?” 

Ko shrugged. “I don’t actually need it to hear, I can hear things just fine in my normal form.” 

“No inner ear then.” Anna suggested thoughtfully. “Unless the scan shows otherwise.” 

Taking the tip off the scope she tossed it into a tub for soiled equipment nearby before shining the light in Ko’s eyes. “Your pupils aren’t reacting to the light.” She noted after flicking it back and forth a few times. “You’ll need to make sure they contract or expand properly. Right now they’re in a standard position but when light hits the eye it needs to contract to avoid blindness. Opposite reaction when in low light.” 

Ko nodded. He had read about that in the texts of course but felt no need to make them adjust as the lighting was fairly regular around the station unless he was sleeping. 

Holding a magnifying lens in front of his eye she examined it more carefully. “Now I’m no opthamologist but an eye is definitely supposed to have a more advanced retina.” She smiled. 

Ko nodded. “Gonna have to work on that.” He sighed. 

“Good luck.” Anna smiled before opening his mouth and shining the light inside it. “Ah, I see you had the forethought to make a uvula.” She chuckled as she examined the back of his throat. “Very small tonsils, might want to make them bigger. Tongue and palate look right. Teeth are basically the right shape and the right number. You might want to make them slightly off color; most people don’t have perfectly white teeth.” 

“Got it.” He garbled around her fingers before she released his face, examining the inside of his nostrils. 

“Looks fine…” She muttered as Elizabeth took notes behind her on a notepad. She began pressing her fingertips against his neck, feeling for the lymph nodes she expected to find there before nodding. “Lymph nodes feel normal. Carotid pulse…” She trailed off, pressing her fingers against his throat before frowning. “Is absent.” She glanced up. “Do you need to create a heart and blood vessels for that?” 

Ko thought for a moment. “I don’t think so. I can create them if I need to but…” 

“Well I’ll be checking on those areas next so you might as well start making organs in your chest cavity.” Anna replied. 

Ko nodded, closing his eyes for a moment and focusing on creating various organs within his chest as well as a proper skeletal structure and musculature. After a few minutes he looked up with a nod. “Try now.” 

Anna pressed her finger to his throat again, nodding after a moment. “Steady pulse on both sides with the proper pulse rate. Good. I assume you have vocal cords as well?” 

Ko looked at her wryly. 

“Just checking.” She smiled. “Go ahead and move to the surgical area for me, it’s easier to check some things when you’re laying down. Make sure to take your shirt off beforehand.” 

_Wish Mikhaila would say something like that to me._ He considered with a private smile as he walked over to the circular surgery area before glancing back at them. 

“You aren’t gonna start cutting me open for ‘Science’ are you?” He asked. 

“Nah, we’re saving that for the next session.” She grinned. “Kidding, I promise!” 

Ko shook his head before he pulled his tee shirt over his head and laid it next to him on the long couch. Hopping up onto it he laid on his back, staring up a bit nervously at the various surgical tools on manipulator arms sitting above him. Anna and Elizabeth walked over with the other woman still making notes as Anna turned on the spot light above him. The nurse glanced at his face before nodding in approval. 

“Saw a pupil reaction there. Good.” 

Ko gave her a half smile as she pulled a stethoscope from her pocket and placed it in her ears. She pressed the bell of the stethoscope off the center of his chest to listen to his heartbeat. 

Ko twitched at the cool bell on his skin, making her smirk. 

“Hmm...so even Typhon aren’t immune to cold instruments. Good to know. Very odd sounds, more squelching than anything. Is there fluid actually passing through the ventricles and out of the heart?” She asked. 

Ko shook his head. 

“That would explain why then.” She muttered. “The heart sounds are caused by the valves opening and snapping shut as blood is forced out, not the muscle itself contracting.” 

“Hmm...okay...one second.” Ko murmured before focusing for a moment. 

A few seconds later Anna smiled. “Ah, much better. Proper s1 and s2 sounds. Rhythm and rate appear normal.” 

She moved the bell around his chest to check the other valve locations before straightening. “Roll onto your side so I can listen to your lungs please.” 

Ko obliged her as she placed the instrument on the left and right side of his back. “Take a deep breath for me…good. And another…good. Hmmm, breath sounds are fairly normal though it sounds like there’s some phlegmy rasps. For most humans that would indicate a lung infection like pneumonia. The sounds should be dry.” 

“Good to know.” Ko remarked as he laid flat again. 

Anna began tapping on his ribs with her fingers before pressing her fingers across his stomach. Taking out the stethoscope again she listened at various points. “No gastrointestinal sounds...normally the stomach and intestines will gurgle or woosh slightly indicating movement of food in the bowels via rippling of the intestine walls. We’ll use the imaging systems next time to make sure everything looks right as well as the liver, pancreas, etc.” 

She felt along his arms to check for muscle tone and placement, having him flex his arms before checking for a pulse in his wrist, suggesting that location was often where it would be checked if he were given an impromptu physical or a quick check of his vital signs. 

Wrapping a blood pressure cuff around his arm she checked it quickly before frowning. “Extremely low pressure, I’m assuming you just created arteries and veins in your arm when you saw me wrapping this around it?” She asked. 

Ko nodded a bit sheepishly. 

“Okay, let’s try again. And do try to pump something through them this time.” She suggested in a mock put-upon tone. 

“Yes ma’am.” Ko replied. 

Another minute with the cuff attempting to choke the life out of his arm and she nodded. “Pressure was better but still a little low. Might want to keep an eye on that. Turn over on your back for me.” She instructed. 

Ko quickly did so and the woman went about pressing various places on his back as well as tracing his spine to ensure there were the correct number of vertebrae before stepping back. 

“Well, all in all so far I’d say you’ve done very well. Once you adjust those minor issues you could pass any normal physical with flying colors.” She smiled. 

“Great.” Ko smiled as he sat up, looking over to see Joel approaching. 

“If you want to come by again soon we’ll be happy to do some internal scans for you.” Elizabeth remarked. 

Ko nodded. “I will, thank you.” He said as he put his shirt back on. “Nice meeting all of you.” He said as he left. 


	12. Chapter 11

After a few hours Ko returned to his section of the station, heading to his room. As he entered he found Mikhaila sitting in one of the chairs waiting for him.

“Hi.” He said in slight surprise. 

Mikhaila smiled. “How did it go?” 

Ko shrugged noncommittally. “It was a bit rough at first but thankfully Joel was willing to help me out and be my tour guide.” 

“Joel?” Mikhaila asked curiously. 

“Joel Weeks, he works in Reception at the lobby desk.” Ko explained. 

“Ah I see. Well I’m glad you were able to find someone who was willing to help you break the ice.” She smiled. 

Ko frowned at the unfamiliar expression but nodded. “He was very helpful in introducing me to people. I got to meet Dr. Bellamy in person and visit Morgan’s office. He actually left a video for me there but to be honest most of what he told me I already knew to one degree or another.” He said with a shrug before discussing his visit to the medical center as well as what had happened afterward. 

Joel had taken Ko around to a few other departments such as Marketing and Human Resources to introduce those who worked there. While the non-technical departments had been scaled back due to Earth being out of contact people still used the workspace for other duties. Most had been fairly reserved but receptive in their first meeting with him and Ko was careful to act friendly and personable regardless of how guarded the person acted upon meeting him. When his story wound down Mikhaila gave him a proud smile before standing and hugging him. 

“I knew you could do it.” She praised him warmly and a moment later she felt Kobalt hugging her back. 

“Thanks!” He murmured sincerely. 

She pulled back a moment later, the smile still on her face. “I’d say this calls for a celebration.” She suggested. “There’s a movie playing in the theatre tonight. Would you like to accompany me?” She asked sweetly. 

Ko blinked in surprise at the sudden request, a word filtering up through his consciousness. 

“Is...is this a ‘date’?” He asked carefully. 

Mikhaila simply smiled mysteriously at him. “Might be.” She teased before walking away. 

Ko’s eyes widened at the thought as he spun around. “Wait! Mikhaila I…!” He stammered. 

She paused, looking back at him with a questioning look. 

“I...I’ve never been on a date before!” He stammered. “I...I don’t know what to do!” 

Mikhaila smiled. “Ask the others. The important thing is just be yourself, Ko.” She insisted gently before leaving the room. 

Ko stared after her for a moment before letting out an explosive sigh, his feet automatic starting to pace. 

_What do I do? How does this ‘date’ thing even work?!_ He wondered frantically. 

He had a vague sense of what a date was, Morgan having been on many in his life, but nothing specific floated to the top of his consciousness unlike other times when Morgan’s memory had provided some of the missing pieces. 

_I suppose I’ll have to ask them._ He considered as he sat down heavily on the bed, pulling out his Transcribe. _Surely they’ve done this sort of thing a million times. They have to know._

Flicking through the various functions on the device he noticed a private and public chat feature as well as a station wide comment forum application. 

_Huh...might have to check that out later._ He considered. _Right now though…_

He activated the comm function, deciding to call Danielle first. After a few seconds she answered. 

“Hi Ko. What’s up?” Danielle asked. 

“Umm...well I was wondering...do you have a few minutes?” He asked uncertainly. 

“I can take a few minutes, sure. What’s on your mind?” Danielle asked. 

“A...ah...a date actually.” He replied. 

There was a pregnant pause on the other end. “Are you asking me out Ko?” Danielle asked in confusion. 

“I...Oh! Oh, no nothing like that!” Ko stammered, dismayed at how he had phrased his reply. “I...I meant going on a date...with Mikhaila!” 

Danielle chuckled quietly on the other end. “You’re cute when you’re flustered, you know that?” She suggested. “So you decided to ask her out? That was pretty brave of you.” She complimented him. 

“Actually it was her idea, not mine.” He replied sheepishly. “She wants to celebrate my mixing it up with the crew today and wants to see a movie tonight with me. I want to go but I don’t know...I don’t know what to do!” He exclaimed. “What do you do on a date?” 

“Calm down Ko and take a deep breath.” Danielle replied soothingly. “You’re overthinking this way too much. A date is something partners do to just have fun. It’s a step in your relationship with her but it’s not a major step. Just enjoy spending time together. She’s not expecting you to do anything special and it’s not like you can buy her flowers or candies or something up here. Just be with her and enjoy each other’s company. That’s what a date is.” 

Ko felt his entire body relax at Danielle’s words as he let out a breath. _She was right. I WAS freaking out over nothing. Just enjoy the movie and enjoy being with her. Easy enough._

“Thanks Danielle.” He said sincerely. 

“No problem Ko.” The woman replied easily. “Oh one more thing.” 

“Yeah?” He asked. 

“If she starts getting touchy-feely with you or kisses you make sure to do it back. Just don’t get naked in the theater with her.” She giggled. 

“I...wait! What?!” He asked incredulously, making Danielle laugh before she disconnected the call, leaving him staring at his Transcribe in shock. 

_Great! Now I don’t know what to think about that!_ He fumed before shaking his head. _I guess I’ll just have to see what happens and go along with it._

Flopping back onto the bed he began playing with the Transcribe’s features, bringing up the public chat application out of idle curiosity. Much of the commentary was conversations between various people on projects or tasks they were working on until he saw Joel’s name appear on the screen. 

_\---TranStar Public Community Chat---_

JoelWeeks: So...finally got to meet the Cobalt test subject. It was quite the day, I gotta say. 

JamesMacabee: So you got to meet the Typhon in person huh? Did it try to eat you? :-P 

JoelWeeks: Very funny. >:-( He was actually very nice and quite nervous about meeting everyone. After I asked him to transform for me, just to prove he was a Typhon, he almost ran back downstairs because of the reaction he got from me and everyone else. 

JohnWilson: Why? Did somebody shoot at him? :-D 

JoelWeeks: Thankfully no. When things calmed down we visited the lounge along with the Exec offices and trauma center. 

MarcSellers: Good thing I wasn’t there or I probably would have shot him. *glare* 

JoelWeeks: Come on man, don’t be like that. He’s a good kid! 

MarcSellers: He’s not a kid! He’s an alien! A f**king Typhon! Why does he get to wander around the station like some celebrity getting a tour?! 

JohnWilson: You HAVE been paying attention to the announcement emails Dr. Yu has been sending out right? 

MarcSellers: No! Because I’ve been spacing them whenever I get them! I don’t want to hear about his Wunderkid Typhon! 

JohnWilson: Then why not take a shuttle to Earth and join the resistance if you want to fight them so badly? 

_\---TranStar Public Community Chat ---_

Ko sighed, putting down the Transcribe. He hoped the next time he visited the trauma center Sellers wouldn’t be there or he might find himself on the wrong side of a scalpel. 

_Later that evening…_

Mikhaila neared Ko’s room, pausing at the door and glancing down at the outfit she had chosen to wear, a simple violet button down shirt and sensible black slacks. She did not have a fancy dress or outfit to wear, frankly very few of the crew did with the exception of Alex, Morgan, and possibly Igwe as they might be expected to give a presentation or host important guests. A Systems Engineer, even the most senior one, hardly counted as important enough not to mention the fact that unlike the fancy interior in the simulation any expensive outfit would be wasted in such an environment. She could just imagine wearing an expensive dress only to have the power cut out at the wrong moment, leaving her weightless and giving onlookers a chance to peek up her skirt. Her mind wandered to the possibility of Ko accidentally doing such a thing, making her smile and blush at the same time before she mentally smacked herself. 

_Stop thinking like a schoolgirl!_ She admonished herself. _That’s what got you into that mess in the first place! It’s a date for heaven’s sake!_

Shaking her head at her own foolishness she entered his room to find Ko standing near the table, dressed in a burgundy shirt with a ringed collar and black slacks with polished brown shoes. 

“You look quite handsome this evening.” Mikhaila smiled. 

“You look...you look beautiful.” Ko stuttered slightly, giving her a nervous smile. 

Mikhaila chuckled deprecatingly as she looked down at herself. “In this? Please. This is simply a nice outfit. I had much better back on Earth.” 

Ko shrugged. “To me you look beautiful.” He replied earnestly. 

Mikhaila smiled. “Thank you Ko. Shall we?” She asked. 

Ko nodded. As they walked out the door with Ko alongside her an instinct prompted him to hold out his arm to her. Mikhaila smiled with a slight nod as she curled her arm around his, the hybrid escorting her down the hallway and through the security checkpoints to the main part of the station. 

“So what movie are we watching?” He asked her. 

“Appropriately enough it’s a live action remake of an old Disney movie.” Mikhaila replied. “Beauty and the Beast.” 

“A classic then?” He suggested. 

Mikhaila laughed. “Just about. That would be early to mid 20th century films. I’m sure we have some of those on board, too.” 

Taking the gravity elevator up to the lobby Ko waved at Joel as they passed by, the pair soon making their way to the theater. Taking a seat near the back of the movie theater to get the best view he glanced over at her. 

“For some reason I feel like I should have brought food.” He remarked in a puzzled tone. 

Mikhaila smiled. “Well back on Earth it’s customary to buy popcorn and snacks while watching a movie in the theater. Unfortunately we don’t have a concession stand here.” 

“What’s popcorn?” Ko asked curiously. 

“Basically special corn kernels that rupture under heat. It makes for a light snack. Usually you put butter and salt on it.” She replied. 

“Weird.” Ko remarked curiously. 

While a few other members of the crew wandered in a few minutes later none of them noticed the pair in the back as they sat down closer to the front row. The lights went down several minutes later and the movie began to play. Ko watched with interest as the Enchantress transformed the handsome man into a loathsome yet still exotically handsome creature, pronouncing the curse upon him. He watched Belle take the place of her father in the castle dungeon and the Beast intervening at the cost of his safety when Belle was attacked by various forest creatures. He watched the two slowly bond as she treated his wounds and the climax at the end where she professed her love for him even with his horrific visage, breaking the curse. 

At some point during the movie he felt Mikhaila’s hand brush against his and linger. 

Glancing down for a moment he looked up at her questioningly. Seeing her give him a soft smile and sideways glance he carefully curled his fingers around her hand, holding it gently. Even this simple contact made him feel warm inside and more connected to her than before. They continued to hold hands until the film ended and the lights came up once again. As the others filed out of the room, talking amongst themselves. Ko turned to her. 

“That was very interesting.” He said with a smile. “I liked it.” 

“I liked it too.” Mikhaila smiled. “Walk me back to my room?” 

Ko nodded and they stood, making their way out of the theater and up to the crew quarters. Arriving at her door a few minutes later she turned to smile at him. 

“I had a lovely time.” She said. 

Ko nodded. “Me too. Can we...can we do this again soon?” He asked hopefully. 

“Of course.” Mikhaila smiled. “After a date there’s one last little ritual humans do before parting for the evening.” 

“What’s that?” Ko asked. 

Mikhaila stepped close to him and kissed him softly on the lips. 

Ko’s eyes widened in surprise before his instincts asserted themselves and he kissed her back softly. 

Mikhaila pulled back a moment later, breaking the kiss gently with a smile. “Good night Ko.” She said sweetly before entering her quarters. 

Ko stood there silently and unmoving as he stared at the closed door, his hand reaching up to lightly touch his lips where she had kissed him. 

The next day he found himself heading back to the Trauma center. Seller’s messages in the chat room the day before had concerned him but he consoled himself with the knowledge that the others would not let him do anything drastic. Most likely the man would just walk out and refuse to be a part of the proceedings, at least he hoped. The last thing he wanted was for the man to get violent with him. 

The door to the Trauma center swished open before him and he made his way to the rear where everyone was working. Looking about he noticed several additions to the people he already knew. A moment later Dr. Bay glanced up before smiling at him. “Ah, Ko! Welcome back!” She greeted him. 

Ko nodded. “Thank you Dr. Bay.” He said respectfully. 

“Well everyone’s actually here today so I get to introduce you to them.” Elizabeth remarked as she gestured to a middle-aged grey-haired man. “This is Dr. Kohl our counselor,” she then gestured to a dour-faced brown-skinned man with close cut black hair, “and Dr. Sellers our Anaesthesiologist.” 

Ko swallowed softly at seeing Seller’s sullen look before looking over at Dr. Kohl, stretching out a hand as he walked over to him. “Pleasure to meet you Dr. Kohl.” He said quietly. 

The man took his hand, shaking it carefully with an intrigued look on his face. “Likewise.” He said with a hint of curiosity in his tone. “So what brings you here today?” 

“Follow up visit.” Anna replied, answering for him. “We were going to do some deep scans of him since he said he can create or mimic various organ systems. We wanted to see how realistic he can make them and whether they can function properly or not.” 

Dr. Kohl nodded thoughtfully. “Sounds quite interesting, not to mention useful too.” 

“We’ve already given him some tips on how to make his body act more naturally.” She explained to him. “Mostly little things like pupil reaction and organ function.” 

“Great.” Sellers remarked sourly from the other side of the room. “So we’re teaching the Typhon how to act even more convincingly like a human. Whose brilliant idea was that?” 

Ko shrank into himself slightly at the man’s question before Dr. Bay turned to address him with a stern look. “If you have a complaint take it up with Dr. Yu.” She suggested archly. 

Marc snorted in frustration as he crossed his arms. “Like he’d listen to me bitching about his pet project! He’d probably throw me out the airlock to make an example out of me.” 

Ko bristled slightly at this. “Alex isn’t like that!” He protested. 

Sellers turned to face him with a cold smirk on his face. “Oh and you’d know that would you?” He challenged. “You spend lots of time with the bossman?” 

“I’ve spent time with him, yes.” Ko replied firmly. 

“Well you know who I’d like to spend time with?” He asked Ko harshly. “My wife! Oh wait, I can’t because she’s dead! You wanna know why she’s dead? Cause you fuckers KILLED HER!” He shouted. 

“Sellers!” Dr. Bay barked as Ko shrunk back from the man’s rant. “That’s enough! If you can’t control yourself then get out of my trauma center!” 

“Gladly!’ Sellers snarled. “I wouldn’t wanna be anywhere close to this...thing!” 

Glaring at Ko hatefully he turned and stalked away. 

There was an awkward silence for several moments before Dr. Kohl cleared his throat. “I really must apologize for Dr. Sellers’s outburst.” He said quietly. “His wife’s death has been very hard on him and unfortunately he decided to use you as an outlet for his grief. Please try not to take what he said to heart.” 

_I could have though._ Ko thought morosely. _I don’t remember anything before the sim but I could have..._

Seeing his expression Anna walked over to him and rested a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay. He’s just hurting right now.” She said quietly. 

Ko glanced at her sadly. “Wish I could do something to help.” He muttered. 

_Why does empathy have to hurt so much?_

Anna nodded. “I know. But sometimes just being there for someone helps. I know Sellers wouldn’t want you to do that but I think deep down he’d appreciate the sentiment.” 

Ko took in a steadying breath and nodded, his equilibrium slowly returning. 

“Well, let’s get started shall we?” Dr. Bay suggested. 

Anna nodded. “Just lay down where you did before and we’ll start the scans.” She instructed. “Are those actual clothes you’re wearing or are they part of you?” 

“Part of me.” Ko replied. 

Anna nodded. “Would you mind removing them? Last time we didn’t examine your lower body so it’s a good idea to make sure everything there is correct as well.” 

Ko nodded and moved to the surgical area, laying down on the padded surface before pulling his clothes into himself revealing his body to them. 

_Definitely should have come here first before modelling for Mikhaila._

Anna moved to his side and began to examine his legs and feet. “Right number of toes, toenails, skin tone and coloration is accurate.” She mused as she squeezed his legs in various places. “Not exactly muscle tone but the density underneath seems appropriate. I don’t suppose that’s fully functional as well?” She asked mildly, gesturing at his limp penis and testicles. 

“Really Anna?” Dr. Kohl asked her in mild protest 

“It’s a legitimate medical question.” Anna replied, glancing back at him with a frown. 

“I can make it stiff if that’s what you’re asking.” Ko replied. “I could excrete fluid out of it if need be but I normally wouldn’t have those structures in place.” 

Anna nodded. “Well we won’t be asking you to pee in a cup or anything like that.” She assured him before moving to the console nearby and began entering commands. “Right, let’s start with the skeletal system shall we?” She suggested. 

Ko nodded, focusing inwards. While he had a skeleton partially created whenever he was in human form to help keep his form consistent, details and completeness were more important now. He felt his insides shifting slightly, accommodating the denser material as it accumulated in his torso and limbs. After a few moments he looked over at her and nodded. 

“Right, starting scans.” Anna reported as she pressed another button. 

A moment later a buzzing sound filled the air. On the screen in front of Anna a three dimensional image of Ko’s skeleton began to appear, the others crowding around behind her to get a good look. 

“Generally correct as far as it goes. Spinal column is a bit too straight and the vertebrae aren’t quite so simplistic-looking.” Anna remarked. 

“The spine’s also missing the soft discs between each vertebrae.” Dr. Bay remarked. 

Ko nodded before focusing, altering his spine accordingly. 

“Good enough for right now.” Dr. Bay remarked. The rest of the structures look accurate enough to pass a casual scan. Let’s move on. Can you create musculature over the skeleton?” 

On the screen the skeleton slowly began to be overlaid with muscles and ligaments. 

“This is quite impressive considering the detail being shown.” Dr. Bay remarked. “The muscle groups appear generally correct and of the right type.” 

“I feel...heavier.” Ko admitted a moment later. 

The others smiled at that. “Well bone and muscle are the densest portions of the human body.” Dr. Bay replied. “Not surprising. Are you able to add more systems on top or beneath the muscles?” 

“I think so.” Ko replied. “I’m not sure if I’ll be able to make them work all at once though. Trying to coordinate all that…” 

Dr. Bay nodded. “Normally the body’s autonomic functions control organ function but for you it will unfortunately be different unless you can somehow create a brain detailed enough to automatically generate unconscious commands consistently.” 

Ko winced at the thought of trying to create something that complex. “I’ll do my best to keep them all functioning at once.” 

Dr. Bay nodded. “Why not try adding the circulatory and respiratory systems beneath the muscles.” She suggested. 

Ko focused inward once more, willing veins and arteries to form within the various muscles across his body, a heart and lungs forming within his rib cage. Dark matter slowly transformed into artificial blood that pumped from his heart into his arteries and then his veins, filling them with plasma until the system was primed, his lungs taking in air and expelling it in slow, even breaths. 

“New systems are looking good. Blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen levels are normal.” Anna remarked. 

“It helps that I’m not actually converting the air into carbon dioxide before I breathe out.” Ko remarked quietly. “That would make it a lot more complicated.” 

“No doubt.” Dr. Bay agreed. “I doubt they’d test for that anyway. Let’s move on to the digestive system. See if you can create it while keeping your vital signs steady. It’ll be good practice I think.” 

Ko grimaced even as he agreed with the suggestion. If he ever needed to create the necessary organs in a hurry he’d have to do it while potentially maintaining his cover as a human. Even so, he could feel his body beginning to near the edge of what it could accommodate safely. 

He considered humans fortunate in that they could increase their muscle mass and other bodily systems’ efficiency through various means like repetitious exercises of various kinds. Typhon were different. They were much more versatile in what they could accomplish with their forms but there was a hard limit they could not reach beyond, even in the most desperate of circumstances. He could convert himself into any object he could sense or recall from memory, but even he would find it impossible to convert himself into a massive object that was far larger than he himself was. The same general rule applied here; he could mimic a human body well enough to pass a casual inspection or even a light scan but he couldn’t hope to perfectly simulate a human being, or any other object, down to the microlevel. After all, mimicking was for temporary camouflage to take prey by surprise or to hide in plain sight. If he was forced to undergo a prolonged deep scan of his body then he would have failed in his attempt to blend in with the resistance anyway. Even so, he was willing to go through the painstaking process of creating various organs to accomplish his goal. 

Dr. Bay and Anna continued to make various suggestions as he continued to create various organs within him as well as a complete digestive system, until his body was close to the brink, feeling quite full and much denser than usual. 

“Well, aside from a few small irregularities things look good.” Anna remarked happily. “How do you feel?” 

“Close to bursting to be honest.” Ko replied. “I feel like I’ve been packed full of really dense matter to the point where I can barely hold any more inside me.” 

“Well at least we know you can contain all of a human’s innards inside you all at once.” Anna replied. “Or at least the majority of them. You can go ahead and relax now.” 

Ko nodded, allowing the structures inside him to break down and revert until he was feeling much more like his normal self again. Wrapping himself in clothing once more he sat up and got to his feet. 

“If you need assistance in creating these structures again we’re always glad to help, assuming we’re not busy with patients.” Dr. Bay offered. 

“I’m also available if you feel like you need to talk to someone about any problems you might have.” Dr. Kohl offered. 

Ko nodded. “Thank you Dr. Bay, Dr. Kohl.” He said before turning to Anna. “I appreciate all the help.” 

“No problem!” Anna insisted with a smile. 

Ko waved goodbye to them as he left the trauma center, heading back to his room. 

* * *

_The next morning..._

“I heard about your trauma center visits.” Alex remarked to him as Ko ate breakfast. “Good idea, having them using the scanning systems to test your ability to create human organs.” 

Kobalt nodded. “It was getting close towards the end of it but I’m able to hold pretty much all the systems and structures in place. Now I just need to practice not only holding them in place but making them all work at the same time. That’s going to be a challenge.” 

Alex nodded. “Give it a shot but I wouldn’t make it your sole focus. After all, you’ll be interacting with the Typhon a lot more than you will the resistance. That’s actually what I wanted to discuss with you this morning.” 

“Oh?” Ko asked curiously. 

“You’re going to be working alongside the resistance to help break the Typhon’s hold on the planet.” Alex explained. “But to do that you’ll be out in the field a lot of the time, moving amongst the Typhon and sabotaging what they’ve done. Being able to act human is excellent when you’re around humans but around Typhon it’ll just get you killed. You need to be able to act like a Typhon as well.” 

“I AM a Typhon.” Ko replied in confusion. “Why would I…?” 

Alex shook his head. “You don’t move like them or act like they do, at least not around us. We’ve been helping you to acclimate yourself to humanity but we need to make sure you’re comfortable interacting in both worlds for this to work. You’re going to be an undercover field operative Ko, the Typhon can’t suspect you of being on the side of humanity.” 

“I don’t think they think like that.” Ko remarked. “But I know what you mean. Seeing a Typhon stroll around like a human does would draw unwanted attention.” 

Alex nodded. “Exactly.” 

“So how exactly am I going to practice being around other Typhon?” Kobalt asked. “You gonna have some of the crew dress up in blobby Telepath suits or do you have some failed Cobalt subjects in cold storage?” He asked with a hint of challenge. 

Alex’s face twitched slightly at Ko’s tone. “We still have test subjects in lockdown that were candidates for the project. We’ll be placing them in a secure environment and letting you near them without them being able to interact directly with you.” He replied flatly. 

_So I wasn’t the first or the last either._ Ko considered. _If I’d failed they would have euthanized me and moved on to the next one._

He mentally grimaced at the thought though he could hardly blame them for it considering the stakes. “I assume this ‘secure environment’ is in Psychotronics?” He asked. 

Alex nodded. “The Material Extraction lab testing chambers.” 

“Hope it’s more secure than it was in the sim.” Ko remarked. 

Alex smiled. “We haven’t had a breach there yet.” 

_Yet._ Ko thought, nervousness creeping into him. _Is it wrong of me that I’m more nervous meeting a real Typhon for the first time than a human?_

A memory of his occasional dream of the angry Phantom flashed across his mind before he banished it. _Alex won’t let something like that happen to me._ He told himself. _If nothing else I’m too valuable to lose._

“Finish your breakfast and we’ll go.” Alex told him as he stood up. 

“Speaking of,” Ko remarked, scooping up the last of the psychoactive substance, “any news on upgrading my diet?” 

“We have something of a solution, yes. Is what we’re giving you not enough?” Alex asked in concern. 

“I’m not starving if that’s what you mean.” Ko replied. “Though it would be nice to have a full meal now and then.” He admitted. “What solution?” 

“Well we can’t have you snacking on the crew and we aren’t getting any more test subjects from Earth of course. So the remaining option is obvious.” Alex replied. 

“Operators.” Ko confirmed. “I’ll try not to freak out like last time.” 

“Last time you weren’t exactly in a stable state of mind.” Alex reminded him. “We’ll make sure the persona programming isn’t as robust as it normally is. Hopefully that’ll make it easier for you to consume it without the Operator being so deficient that it doesn’t provide nourishment. We have enough raw materials to give you an Operator occasionally but they will have to be rationed.” He cautioned. 

Ko nodded, taking in the last morsel before standing. “Well, I suppose there’s no point in waiting.” He sighed. 

Alex smiled, clapping him on the shoulder. “Let’s go meet the neighbors.” 

Ko followed him through the hallways and upstairs, across the lobby into the Psychotronics division of the space station. Passing through the guarded checkpoint they made their way past the labs and offices, Alex nodding to the various scientists and staff as he passed, to the Materials Extraction section. Stepping into one of the rooms Ko paused as he took in the sight of the material extraction chamber with its various cylinders along one wall. 

_This was where Ingram…_

_Let me out and I’ll give you the code!...On my mama’s grave that’s a stack of lies meant to make pushin’ that button easier!..._

_I let him go...was it mercy or just ignorance? I still don’t know…_

“Brings back memories?” Alex asked him quietly. 

The hybrid blinked, refocusing on the room before him. “Yeah.” He replied softly. “I still don’t know whether I did the right thing or not, letting him free.” 

“Right or wrong it’s a choice you made and you can’t change it now.” Alex advised him. “All you can do now is understand why you made it and make use of that knowledge.” 

Ko nodded silently. 

“Now then, let’s start with something simple.” Alex suggested as he guided Ko to the side of the chamber. Within the cylinders inside he saw several Mimics writhing about, testing the cylinders’ integrity in an attempt to free themselves. “We’ll let them out into the chamber first with you on this side of the glass to see if they react to you at all. If they do and the reaction seems positive we’ll get them back into their cylinders before putting you inside with them and letting them out again. If they’re hostile we’ll move on.” 

“What if they get hostile after I’m in there with them?” He asked Alex guardedly, giving him a pointed look. 

“We’ve got a technician monitoring the room at all times and I’ll be right next to him to provide orders.” Alex explained. “The chamber itself is equipped with multiple systems in place including a lure to coax them back into the cylinders. If that fails we have the equivalent of a tasering system which should stun them long enough for you to get out and seal them in again. If they escape the chamber the room itself is sealed and can be filled with gas that incapacitates Typhon immediately. It’ll knock you out too for a brief time but we’ll be able to get you to safety.” 

“How did the Typhon manage to break containment with all those safeguards in place?” Ko asked him in confusion. 

“A series of unfortunate events culminating in a perfect storm at just the right time.” Alex replied heavily. “This will be quite different. It’ll be fine.” 

With a nod Alex left the room, the doors sealing shut. A few moments later the hatch on the cylinders swung open with a hiss of hydraulics and the three Mimics quickly scampered out of the tubes and into the extraction chamber, moving about its perimeter to test the limits of their new freedom. Ko watched with a hint of nervousness as he watched them crawl about the room before one of them paused before him, wriggling slowly before poking at the reinforced glass with an appendage, apparently trying to reach him through it. Deciding to try something Ko knelt before the creature and allowed himself to revert back to his normal form, resting a smoky hand against the glass where the Mimic had poked at it. The creature quickly wavered back and forth with the other two joining it a second later, crowding against the wall and tapping at the glass haphazardly. 

“Reaction appears positive.” Alex’s voice came over an intercom in the wall a moment later. “We’ll lure them back into the cylinders for a moment and then open the extraction chamber so you can interact with them more directly.” 

Ko nodded as he stood. A moment later glowing psychoactive lures within the cylinders lit up, attracting the Mimics’ attention and enticing them back into their prisons before the hatches shut. Once they were sealed the glass door on the far side of the chamber hissed open, allowing Ko to step into the chamber, the door sealing shut behind him a moment later. The lures in the chamber deactivated and the hatches opened once more, allowing the three Mimics to enter the chamber again. The trio wandered about for a few seconds, examining the room once more before wending their way towards him. Ko could feel his insides twisting nervously as he watched them approach but at the same time a part of him felt himself being drawn to the creatures. The Mimics slowly circled him for a moment, letting out quiet spurts of cosmic radio static. Ko stood there for a moment, somewhat at a loss as to how to proceed. 

_What do I do?_ He wondered. _Should I reach down and pet them or something?_

_You’re thinking like a human._ Another part of his mind whispered to him. _You’re a Typhon, act like one._

Realizing what needed to happen he allowed the human part of his mind to slip out of the forefront of his consciousness, allowing his instincts as a Typhon to take over. Short bursts of radio static issued from him as an unusual excitement he had not expected filled him. The Mimics responded in kind, emitting chirps and static bursts more rapidly. The human part of his mind tried to understand what was being said before he pushed it back down, allowing his instincts to continue guiding him. He knew without thinking about it that there was no language or message encoded in the static. That was something a human would search for, desiring to find a pattern in the chaos. Typhon did not do patterns. The static was purely instinctual noises. A basic form of communication, nothing more. 

And yet, as they continued to spit static back and forth at each other while moving about the room, testing every inch of the walls to find the freedom they desired, he could not help but realize there was emotion in the bursts. It was as if he had been reintroduced to a language learned long ago but forgotten about in the intervening years, his instincts and the Typhonic aspects of his mind awakening in the presence of his kin. 

_Kin?_

Ko blinked for a moment at the adjective his mind had conjured as he looked at the Mimics. They were completely comfortable in his presence, moving about as if nothing was amiss. As if he was one of them. The excitement he had felt in the beginning had mellowed to a kind of equilibrium of satisfaction within him. Allowing his instincts to color his thoughts he considered what he was feeling. He felt pleased, almost glad, to be amidst them. As if they were...family. 

_Kindred._

The word came again to the forefront of his mind and he could not bring himself to disagree. Here, at this moment, regardless of everything that had happened to him since the sim, they were his pack mates and kin and they trusted him. Not seeing him as an outsider but rather one of their own instinctually. The thought warmed his insides unexpectedly as he realized he hadn’t expected them to accept him, that they would somehow know of his aberrant dual nature and reject him with attacks and hisses like they had done in the simulation. He had assumed their behavior based on his past experiences in the sim when he was acting as a human and not one of them. 

“Response appears to be overwhelmingly positive.” Alex remarked in a pleased tone through the intercom again. “How are you feeling Ko?” 

“Good.” He replied, unwilling to voice all that he had realized and felt at the moment as he was still processing it all. “They seem calm.” 

“They do indeed.” Alex agreed. “Alright, let’s get them back into the chambers and we’ll let you out.” 

The lures activated again a moment later and the Mimics began crawling back to them. Ko found himself staring at the psychoactive lights himself, a desire to follow lightly tugging at him. 

“Ko? Ko!” Alex’s voice called over the intercom, shaking him out of his reverie. 

“Sorry, got distracted.” Ko replied as he shook his head, the hatches on the cylinders closing once more before the door to the chamber opened behind him. Ko glanced at them one more time before making his way out of the chamber, the door closing again. A few moments later the doors to the room unsealed and Alex walked in. 

“Well I’d say the first integration test was a resounding success.” He said with a smile. “They took to you right away. Did you do anything specific?” 

“I just let my instincts take over.” Ko explained. “Thinking like a human wouldn’t help with them. But acting like a Typhon…” 

Alex nodded. “I heard you two hissing static back and forth at each other. What were you saying?” 

“Nothing really.” Ko replied. “It’s not like speech but more like...I guess the closest thing would be bird calls or something like that.” 

Alex nodded. “We believed the Typhon had no language but we were never able to fully confirm it until now. So like any other animal they use calls and sounds for group awareness and notification.” 

“Basically yes.” Ko replied with a nod. 

“Right, let’s move on then to the next subject.” Alex said as they made their way out of the room and to another chamber. Pausing at the entrance Alex nodded. “Same procedure as before.” He confirmed before moving away. A moment later the door opened and Ko stepped inside, the door sealing behind him. 

In the glass extraction chamber stood a Phantom. 

It was not the one from his dreams but seeing a Phantom in the flesh suddenly brought the memories back, the creature hissing and spitting in frustration at him before violently attacking him. 

Forcing himself to put aside the dreams for the time being he sunk himself into his subconscious like he had done with the Mimics. Immediately he flash-stepped over to the barrier separating the two of them, instinctively searching for weaknesses in the glass though the rational part of his mind knew there would be none. The Phantom immediately moved to the glass to stare at him, its talons pressing hard against the surface. 

A moment later a concentrated burst of radio static issued from it. Like with the Mimics there were no specific words or language but he could sense the emotion and intonation used which helped provide subtext. There was confusion there and an underlying anxiety. Given the context of the situation the meaning was clear to him. 

_How is it you are on the outside?_

He sent back a neutral burst of his own. 

_I simply am._

Another burst of static issued from the Phantom, this time urgency and excitement coloring the frequencies. 

_You are outside! You can help! Free me!_

“Alex?” Ko asked, allowing just enough of his higher faculties to emerge to use his voice. “Can you open the chamber please?” 

“Opening now.” Alex replied. 

The door of the chamber opened nearby and with a squeal of electronic excitement the Phantom flash-stepped out of the chamber. More spurts of radio noise came from the Phantom as it quickly moved to the door, its talons digging into the seams to try and force it open. 

_Help me! Help me open it!_

Ko moved to the door, examining it briefly before sending a resigned burst and raking his talons along the metal. _It will not open. Too strong._

The Phantom let out a frustrated burst before wandering about the room, searching for gaps or weaknesses it could exploit, letting out bursts of sound laced with urgency and frustration. 

_Still trapped! Still not free! Hungry! Food is nearby!_

“Alex, I think it’s time to put it back in the room.” Ko suggested. 

“Agreed, the interaction was positive as well. Activating lure.” 

A Typhon lure emerged from the ceiling of the containment chamber and the Phantom quickly turned to move towards it. Moments later it was back in the sealed chamber with the main door of the room opening, allowing Ko to leave. 

Alex stood there with a smile on his face. “I’d say so far the tests have gone well. If this keeps up I doubt you’ll have any problem fitting in.” 

Ko couldn’t help but agree. 

**Author's Note:**

> So I decided to post this because I have been toying with this story for months and finally decided to do something with it. Full disclosure: this is just something I am writing in my free time and I am not sure how far I will go with it. It's entirely possible this story will not go beyond a few chapters or be completed.


End file.
